Those who first play Fire Emblem, even the newer, easier ones like Blazing Sword, Sacred Stones, and Path of Radiance, usually comment on the games' high level of difficulty. While Fire Emblem can be daunting for a beginner, most of the games can be mastered with the use of a few, simple tactics. Those of you who are veterans, those who can beat the extremely taxing Thracia 776 in your sleep, won't find much use in this article; this article is intended to give struggling beginners a helping hand. Also note that the suggestions discussed are my personal preferences for going about the game. I'm in no way implying that the methods listed below are the only means of successfully playing Fire Emblem. Obviously, if you are going for S ranks, then you'll need to vary your tactics considerably.

The interface in all the Fire Emblems is simple and user friendly. The game essentially plays as follows: you, the player, move all your units (the blue guys), then the computer moves all of the enemy units (the red guys). While the gameplay is simple, it does allow the computer to potentially send mutiple baddies to gang up on one of your units in one turn. This is where careful strategy, as well as knowing how far your enemies can move and attack, comes into play. The simplest strategy, and one you should utilize frequently until you get the hang of the game, is to send your unit with high hit points and defense into range of about two or three enemies. Keep your other units just out of the enemies' attack range, that way they can all help kill the bad guys and gain much needed experience. Remember, most of the time, if one of your units is in range of an enemy, then the computer will send him into combat against your unit, even if he has virtually no chance of survival. In other words, the computer isn't the most brilliant tactician. Use this to your advantage.

With the exception of Fire Emblem Gaiden and Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, the amount of experience you can earn is limited. Therefore, before you begin a campaign, familiarize yourself with all the characters via either a guide, GameFAQs, a Fire Emblem message board, or whatever. Pick out about a dozen characters you like and make sure you focus on leveling them up whenever possible. Focusing on only a few characters early may seem difficult at first, but trust me, it'll pay off considerable dividends later in the game, as you'll have a whole team of elite, high level, promoted units, all capable of taking out mobs of enemy units almost single handedly. It's also a good idea to pick a balanced party. From Fire Emblem: Geneology of the Holy War on, you'll want to make sure you have a balance between sword, axe, and spear users, since that will allow you to exploit the weapon triangle easier. Include a couple of magic users. Include one or two healers. At least one pegasus knight is good, for taking out enemy mages. You can have three if you want to use the devastating triangle attack, but since they are weak to arrows, and lack hit points and defense in comparison to other melee type units, I tend to only use one.

Another point which relates to the paragraph above is to stay away from what players call the "Jeigan" character. Don't worry; you'll know the "Jeigan" when you see him or her. The "Jeigan" is always a pre promoted unit you'll have fairly early in the campaign, and he or she is usually a paladin. He or she is also usually powerful enough to clear the first two or three chapters almost single handedly. Many beginning players will be tempted to use the "Jeigan" since he or she is so powerful, but he or she can hurt your campaign in two ways. First of all, since he or she is already a promoted unit, he or she doesn't gain many experience points, meaning you are robbing other units of potential levels. Second, "Jeigans" tend to have horrible growth rates. Now, some fans will argue that some "Jeigans" are actually what they call "Oifayes." These "Oifayes" are generally considered good enough to keep around for the entire game. True, but even these "Oifayes" have lower growth rates, and generally turn out at least slightly worse than the better units in the game. In short, the "Jeigan" or "Oifaye" is never the best unit in the game, at least not for beginners. That's not to say you shouldn't use him or her to get you out of a jam once in awhile, but they shouldn't hog all the experience either.

On the subject of bad characters, there is one mistake some make that can really cause a good character to turn out poorly. That is promoting a unit too early. With the possible exception of healers, you should never promoted a character prior to level 20. If you do, you are essentially robbing the character of the number of levels that character can earn. In other words, a character who promotes at 20 can earn 20 more levels in his or her promoted form, for a total of 40. A character promoted at 10 can still earn 20 levels in his or her promoted form, but he or she will only have 30 levels total. You see how this makes a difference? Robbing a character of those extra levels is not a good idea. (Thanks to Hughber from Fire Emblem Online for recommending that I mention this potential problem.)

Unlike standard RPGs, you can't simply waltz back into town and buy weapons, armor, and items. Okay, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is the exception. With that in mind, it's imperitive that you collect as many treasure chests as you can. There are two ways to go about this. Sometimes, your opponents will drop door and chest keys. If you want to find out who drops these items, then look at the inventory of all the enemies, and if an item is flashing, then that means they will drop it if defeated. If they aren't going to drop enough keys to open all the chests, then you'll need to bring a thief, equipped with a lockpick of course, along. Now, before you barge into locked treasure rooms, keep in mind that bad guys may be waiting in ambush. Since thieves tend to be frail, they'll need to be kept out of harm's way. Therefore, it's a good idea to form a SWAT team around your thief or key holder. Make sure they still can use their turn after the thief unlocks the door, and have your SWAT team storm into the room and clear out any potential threats. Use this tactic on every treasure room, and you should be able to nab all the goodies, while not incurring any casualties.

Later in the game, the most effective tactic will be dividing your team into two groups, sometimes three, and letting each group work their way up opposite sides of the field. Now, you shouldn't split your teams haphazardly; there are some things to keep in mind. First of all, make sure each group has at least one healer, and a good balance of melee and long range units. Second, look at what type of foes occupy each side. Does one side have mostly lance users? Then send your own axe and lance users that direction. Does one side have more magic users? Send your own mages and/or your pegasus knight that way. Third, are any enemy units holding items like red gems, dragon shields, or speed wings? If they aren't flashing, then send your thief that way and steal them. Fourth, keep your support conversations in mind as you form your groups. If two characters have an A level support, then they should probably be close to each other at all times. Believe me, it makes a difference. In other words, don't rush when you are picking your teams. Take your time and weigh everything carefully. Try to form your teams so you have the best possible advantage over the enemy.

Sometimes, enemies will come at you, but several of them will be staggered. In other words, sometimes there may be one or two a space or two away from your group, one or two more three spaces from your group, and one or two more three or four spaces from your group. How can you wipe them all out without leaving any of your weaker units vulnerable? Simple, utilize what I call the wave attack. (Thanks to Ranna from Fire Emblem Online for coming up with this name.) Since your own group should have units in the back row for protection, bring them up and wipe out the foes that are only one or two spaces away. This will free up your other units closer to the front line to take out enemy units farther away. In other words, the wave attack works like this: your back row takes out the enemy's front row. Your middle row takes out the enemy's middle row. Your front row takes out the enemy's back row. If you do it properly, you should be able to take out at least five or six enemies in one turn, without leaving your archers, mages, and healers vulnerable.

Every tactic I've discussed so far shares a common thread: take your time and think the situation through carefully. Since Fire Emblem is turned based, there is no reason to rush. Slow and steady wins the race. Just remember to always put yourself in situations so you have every possible advantage. Exploit your foes' weaknesses whenever possible, and you should start winning battles without incurring losses. Now get out there and play some Fire Emblem.