Reinforcements in Fire Emblem: A Frustrating Mechanic

 Like other strategy-RPGs, the Fire Emblem series expects you to use good strategy to triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, especially when you're outnumbered. Your numerical disadvantage can be exacerbated when the game decides to give your opponent even more troops to use against you, often at the worst possible time. The way reinforcements work can turn an ordinarily fine mechanic that ups the challenge into one that makes the game needlessly frustrating.

One problem is that while the player is advised that reinforcements can come from forts or stairs, there is generally little indication as to when the reinforcements will come. Sometimes the reinforcements will come at specific turns, while other times, the reinforcements will come when a unit passes a certain point on the map. Finding out the causes for reinforcements is often only possible through trial and error, with errors often resulting in the losses of certain units or failing the mission.

Another problem is when the reinforcements come. On lower difficulties and/or in newer games, reinforcements will be added at the end of the Enemy Phase, meaning that they will not be able to move or fight that turn, thus giving the player a turn to move their units out of the way or defeat them. However, on higher difficulties and/or in older games, reinforcements may be added just after the Player Phase, meaning that they can attack on the next Enemy Phase. As such, enemy reinforcements might appear in an area you had thought you secured and attack your more vulnerable units, likely killing them.

Some might say that players should be prepared for unexpected circumstances, and that is certainly true. However, the game has many mechanics that take the guesswork out of tactical decisions, from a display of how a battle between two units will likely play out to a "Danger Zone" showing enemy units' movement and attack range, so it's rather frustrating that many players will lose units and fail missions due to reinforcements they never saw coming.

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