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Marth Embarks
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Marth Embarks (Japanese: マルスの旅立ち Marth's Departure) is the first chapter of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, Book I of Mystery of the Emblem, and Shadow Dragon. It is set two years after the prologue of Shadow Dragon.
Plot
- Main article:
Marth Embarks/Script
Marth, having narrowly survived the downfall of Altea, reaches the island kingdom of Talys, where its king Mostyn allows him to reside in the eastern fortress. Marth spends two years in hiding, training to become strong enough to challenge Medeus. One day, pirates from the town of Galder storm the island and begin pillaging the local villages. Princess Caeda races to the eastern fortress to enlist Marth's aid, and he promptly engages the pirates.
Starting from the east side of the island, Marth leads the army to the western castle, where he defeats Gazzak, the leader of the pirates. He meets King Mostyn, who deems him worthy to battle Dolhr and supplies him with a group of soldiers, most notably Ogma, to help him reclaim Altea. King Mostyn advises Marth to recruit more fighters who can help, whether they are hiding in villages or being forced to fight by the enemy.
Chapter data
Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light Mystery of the Emblem Shadow Dragon
Character data
Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light Mystery of the Emblem Shadow Dragon Normal Mode Shadow Dragon Hard Modes
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New units
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Available characters
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None |
Item data
Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light Mystery of the Emblem Shadow Dragon
Shop data
Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light Mystery of the Emblem Shadow Dragon
Enemy data
Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light Mystery of the Emblem Shadow Dragon
- Stats with a decimal can vary randomly; the decimal represents the chance for the stat to increase to the nearest integer, or otherwise be truncated.
Normal Hard-1 Hard-2 Hard-3 Hard-4 Hard-5
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Boss data
- Main article:
Gazzak
Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light Mystery of the Emblem Shadow Dragon
- Stats with a decimal can vary randomly; the decimal represents the chance for the stat to increase to the nearest integer, or otherwise be truncated.
Strategy
This section details unofficial strategies that may help with completion of the chapter. This may not work for everybody. |
Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light
Marth has exclusive access to several extremely powerful swords and enemies will automatically prioritize attacking him if at all possible. Caeda doesn't have much going for her apart from her flight utility; she does get immediate access to Jagen's Silver Lance, but Abel isn't far behind and has much better Strength to deal damage.
Shadow Dragon
- Prologue Playthrough and Character Training: If you are playing in Normal Mode and have completed the Prologue, the characters you have played with so far should have gained several levels by now. This is an excellent opportunity to level up other characters, as the ones you have been using will not gain much experience here.
- Norne's Appearance: If you finished Prologue IV with four or fewer characters, Norne will join your team. She is slightly better than Gordin. If you are considering using her, start training now as her starting stats are quite low. However, there are more powerful bow users available later in the game.
- Enemy Encounter Strategy: Pirates and the Hunter are manageable. Some approach from land and others from the sea. One will be stationed at the castle while three others linger until you get closer. Place your injured characters in forests or forts, especially before getting Wrys for healing. Keep Caeda away from the Hunter as she is vulnerable to arrows.
- Protect the Villages: Ensure you defeat the Thief before he reaches any villages as they will be destroyed the moment he enters.
- Equipment Purchases: Once you acquire gold from a village, get some weapons. Buy an Iron Lance and some Javelins for Caeda, so she does not have to rely on her unique weapon. Get a lance for Abel (he only starts with a Javelin) and consider another Javelin for Draug.
- Boss Strategy: Attacking the boss from a distance is possible, so plan accordingly.
Hard-5
To make your gameplay a tad smoother, aim for Gazzak to have 10 speed through resets.
Your Starting Units:
- Marth: He is the protagonist but has unimpressive stats. His reliance on swords is a disadvantage since the game has many lance-wielding enemies and lacks effective 2-range sword options.
- Caeda: A quick but fragile Pegasus Knight. Due to powerful enemies, her impressive speed shines, enabling her to efficiently tackle cavalry and armored foes with her unique Wing Spear.
- Cain and Abel: These Cavaliers have well-rounded stats. Cain's lower lance rank makes him a bit more of a pain to train, though.
- Draug: A dependable early-game tank.
- Jagen: An early-game Paladin that can provide support with his Silver Lance.
- Gordin: An Archer with overall disappointing stats and growth.
Gameplay Strategies:
- Send Marth to the village to collect 10,000 gold immediately. Buy Javelins for Draug, Caeda, and Jagen, and Iron Lances for Abel and Caeda.
- Use Abel's Javelin to weaken the nearby Thief, allowing Marth to finish him by turn 2.
- Six enemy Pirates will quickly approach at the chapter's start. Position Draug on the eastern fortress for defense and counter-attacks.
- If things get dicey, use Jagen's Silver Lance. Never end a turn with Gordin having a Steel Bow equipped and always make sure he is outside of the enemies' range, as he can be defeated in one round.
- After eliminating the initial aggressive pirates, you will gain the upper hand. Use forts for healing and use Draug to strategically attract enemies. Try to level up all units, excluding Jagen, to level 2.
- If Cain gets +1 speed, he can avoid being doubled by 10-speed Gazzak. If Draug gets +1 HP or defense and +1 luck, he cannot be ORKOed by the pirates in the next chapter under any circumstances. If Marth and Abel get +1 speed, they cannot be doubled by 11-speed Gazzak, and if Abel gets +1 luck, he cannot be critically hit by Gazzak.
Visit the western village to recruit Wrys, a Curate who is really only helpful in Chapter 2. As for Gazzak, weaken him using Javelins and the Iron Bow. Do not let Jagen kill with a critical hit as you need the experience Gazzak offers to be spread among your other units.
Trivia
- Wrys was removed from Mystery of the Emblem Book I and replaced by Gazzak's Vulnerary, which was removed from his inventory and placed in the left village of the chapter. This has been referenced several times in recent years, including in Wrys's primary ability on his first Fire Emblem Cipher card, B01-015N Healing Curate, which allows him to be discarded for a Vulnerary equivalent.
Etymology and other languages
Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
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Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
English |
Marth Embarks |
-- |
Japanese |
マルスの旅立ち |
Marth's Departure. Officially romanized as The Start of Marth's Journey in the Mystery of the Emblem guide. |
Spanish |
El viaje de Marth |
Marth's journey |
French |
La quête de Marth |
Marth's quest |
German |
Marth bricht auf |
Lit. "Marth breaks on" |
Italian |
Marth approda a Talys |
Marth arrives at Talys |
Gallery
Screenshot from Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light.
CG image displayed during the introduction text in Shadow Dragon.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Not in Shadow Dragon Normal Mode.
- ↑ Not in Mystery of the Emblem.
References
← Prologue IV • | Marth Embarks | • The Pirates of Galder → |
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