Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia has an almost ridiculous amount of DLC. There are plenty of extra activities for people to enjoy. One of these packs is Lost Alters. This introduces the Overclass element to the game. When you purchase this, you can take maxed out secondary classes that have capped out at level 20 and turn the people into what can best be described as legendary warriors. It is a great idea, but unfortunately one that doesn’t really become a factor until the fifth and sixth chapters of the game.
Here’s the thing about Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. The higher your characters’ levels, the less experience they earn from defeating enemies. 20 is the level cap for the Hero, Princess, Baron, Gold Knight, Priestess, Saint, Sage, Bow Knight, Dread Fighter, and Falcon Knight classes, and it can be very difficult to hit that. Between us, the only character I had at level 20 by the time the fifth chapter ended was Alm. If you want to be absolutely prepared for the bonus dungeon in the sixth chapter, grinding the Lords of the Grave DLC map is the best way to max out your favorite party members.
Once you do, you get a slew of incredible characters who are essentially gods. People talk about overpowered party members all the time, but Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia really brings in the big guns. Each of these characters gets improved growth rates, raised level and stat caps, and special skills that make them unstoppable forces of nature. (Plus, you get the bonus of suddenly being able to level them up rather easily again.) Each one is rather incredible and definitely worth the advancement, though in the case of magic users you might experience a temporary setback. While they could learn new spells as a result of advancing, they might momentarily lose spells they have already learned until they level up their overclass.
Since it would be difficult to go over each overclass and what it brings to the table in multiple paragraphs, let’s make this next part easier by putting the basic overclass information into a list.
- Conqueror: This is Alm’s advanced class. Now, when I promoted him, he gained no status gains. However, Bowrange +1 will be learned the second he becomes a Conqueror.
- Rigain: Celica’s class gives her one new spell, Aura. This is a spell that Delthea, Mae, and Kliff can also learn. She will relearn Ragnarok when she reaches Rigain level one.
- Enchantress: Full disclosure, but the Priestess is my favorite class in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. This means Enchantresses are my absolute super favorite. Each one learns the damage-dealing Death and Mire spells upon leveling up, increasing their range. These were previously only available to Duma units in the campaign.
- Exemplar: Like the Enchantress, the Exemplar gains two new spells when they level up. One is the status healing Restore, while the other temporarily increases an ally’s resistance.
- Guru: The Guru class made me upset the only Sage I bothered with was Luthier, as its class-specific skill is pretty good. You know how Saints may learn Invoke, which summons warriors to fight? Well, Gurus learn Lemegeton, which lets them summon up to eight Terrors for 12 health.
- Harrier: Anyone who wanted a more versatile Falcon Knight will be pleased to know Harrier increases their repertoire. In addition to lances, they can now use magic. Fire will immediately be available to them when they level up. (Note, Clair and Est are both incredible Harriers.)
- Oliphantier: The Oliphantier is a bit of a trade-off. When you upgrade a Bow Knight, it gains Bowrange +3. However, their movement actually goes down. This isn’t a big deal, especially since you can take a Steel Bow, then forge it until you get the option to make it a Longbow. That has a range of up to four spaces away, which makes up for the loss.
- Skogul: Do you have a Gold Knight or two? They will become Skoguls. Aside from improved stats, I haven’t yet noticed Mathilda learning any new skills.
- Spartan: I hope you kept Lucas or Valbar around, because they will become Spartans. This is the biggest and best tank. Their new skill is Phalanx, an ability that can completely negate all damage, with the odds of it activating increasing when allies are nearby.
- Yaksha: Yaksha makes Dread Fighters more deadly. They end up getting Tri-affliction, a skill that has a chance of poisoning any opponent they hit.
People who plan on playing as much Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will get a lot out of the Lost Altars Pack. The new overclasses are all very impressive. Each one has something about it that makes it worth striving for. But, know going in that there is a very good chance you won’t actually access them until the very end of the game. It takes quite a bit of time to make the most of your favorite characters. Once you do, though, it is worth it.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is available for the Nintendo 3DS.
