It was the Best of Weapons, It was the Worst of Weapons Part 1

One of the suggestions I got for a future blog post was talking about which weapon types were the best and worst. The thing about this topic is that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Each Fire Emblem game has at least a few differences in how their mechanics work. These differences in mechanics and design affect the overall quality of the different weapon types. This means that I’ll have to rank the quality of each weapon type by game because each game is different enough to warrant its own discussion.


Before I begin, I’d like to thank Ronaldo for helping me out with these lists. This would have been pretty daunting to make without you buddy.

FE 1 & 3

Best Weapon Type: Swords
Worst Weapon Type: Axes

First, let’s start with why axes suck in FE 1 & 3. For starters, there are only 5 different kinds of axes in both games:

https://serenesforest.net/dark-dragon-and-sword-of-light/inventory/axes/

https://serenesforest.net/mystery-of-the-emblem/inventory/axes/

Axes also tend to weigh a ton. For example an Iron Sword has 2 weight in both games while an Iron Axe has a weight of 7. Sure the Iron Axe has + 3 might over the Iron Sword, which means that it will deal more damage, but the Iron Sword dramatically increases your chances of double attacking enemies.

Generally speaking double attacking is a better way of increasing damage output than having one strong swing. This is a big reason why swords are considered the best weapons in both of these games: Their weight is super low, which means that you’ll have the easiest time double attacking enemies. Swords also provide the highest variety of weapons that let you deal with different foes.


You’ve got swords that deal effective damage against dragons, armored units, increase your chances of landing a crit and in FE 3 there are swords that deal effective damage against thieves, pirates and mercenaries. Indoor maps in FE 3 also make swords a more preferred choice since they become the default weapon for a significant percent of your army.



Additional Notes From Ronaldo

• Levin Swords are potent 1 - 2 range weapons in Fire Emblems 1 & 3. The reason for that is that enemy resistance just doesn’t exist which means that you can get a lot of mileage from them. 

• Also, the Rapier is game-breaking in Fire Emblem 1 and it’s a sword. Meanwhile both Mercurius and Falchion are also powerful weapons and they are swords.

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Gaiden & Echoes


Best Weapon Type in Gaiden: Swords

Worst Weapon Type in Gaiden: Lances



Best Weapon Type in Echoes: Bows

Worst Weapon Type in Echoes: Magic


You’re probably wondering why Gaiden and Echoes have different Best / Worst Weapon Types. Let’s start with Echoes since that’s the game that most people have played here. Magic is the worst weapon type in that game because of the following reasons:

• It reduces the HP of the caster making them easier to kill. Also, if said caster doesn’t have enough HP to cast the spell then they’re effectively useless.

• Magic is the only weapon type in Echoes that cannot be forged. That’s a huge disadvantage the other weapon types don’t have.

• You can’t get a Combat Arte from using a spell a certain number of times like you can with all the other weapons. 

Bows in Echoes got a HUGE upgrade from the original. For starters there are only 4 bows in the original Gaiden. By contrast there are 14 bows in Echoes. Sure, two of them are amiibo and DLC only but that still counts.


One of the problems with bows in both OG Gaiden and in Echoes are their low accuracies. The difference in Echoes is that you can forge a bow, which fixes that problem. Bows have the best range in Echoes and more importantly they give you access to the awesomeness that is the Killer Bow. Not only does the Killer Bow provide you with + 20 Crit but you also get “Hunter’s Volley” which provide two consecutive attacks.





Here’s what Ronaldo said about the worth of swords and lances in Gaiden:


The Devil Sword is the strongest weapon in Gaiden...if you give it to a Dread Fighter. Dread Fighters don’t have to deal with the recoil effect and they’re so fast that they’ll still double attack everything (except for other Dread Fighters) so the extra weight doesn’t hinder them. All while taking advantage of the 13 might of the Devil Sword.

Lances are considered the worst weapon type in Gaiden because they really can’t do anything that other weapon types can’t do better. Bows have excellent range, Swords have the Devil Sword, Magic has the Magic Ring and Miracle Ring. Lances have the Gradivus, but that's endgame only.