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A Faint Light

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
A Faint Light

File:Cm fe10 part 1 chapter 3.png

Location

Glaive Prison

New units

Ilyana, Aran

Boss(es)

Burton

A Faint Light is the third chapter of part 1 of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. In this chapter, the Dawn Brigade breaks Micaiah and Laura out of a Begnion prison.

Plot

Micaiah and Laura are taken to Glaive Prison. There, they meet several other prisoners: the merchant Aimee, the thunder mage Ilyana, and the traveler Kurth. Sothe arrives and breaks the five out. When they return to the courtyard, Edward, Leonardo, and Nolan arrive and explain that a Begnion soldier let them in so they could help Laura. Several guards led by Burton arrive, and the Dawn Brigade fights their way out. Along the way, they meet Aran, the soldier who wanted to help Laura, and convince him to defect to their cause.

After making their escape, the Dawn Brigade meets the other members of Aimee and Ilyana's merchant caravan: the armorer Muston and the twin brothers Daniel and Jorge. The merchants explain that rumor has it Ashnard's orphan son is rallying troops in the desert to reclaim Daein, and the Dawn Brigade sets out to join him.

Chapter Data

Chapter Data
Conditions
Unit Data
Victory: Defeat Burton (Easy)
Micaiah escapes (Normal and Hard)
Player Partner Other Enemy
Defeat: Any ally dies 7+1 2 0 13+2 (Easy)
19+11 (Normal and Hard)
Bonus EXP
Requirement Easy Normal Hard
Clear the chapter 160 160 80
Clear the chapter in 10 turns or less 80 80 40
Partner units survive 200 per unit N/A N/A
Player units escape N/A 25 per unit 12.5 per unit
Partner units escape N/A 100 per unit 50 per unit

This map's elemental affinity is Light.

Character Data

Characters
New units
Ilyana
Small portrait ilyana fe10.png
Thunder Mage
HP
22
Inventory
--
Level
12
Automatically from turn 1
Aran
Small portrait aran fe10.png
Soldier
HP
24
Inventory
--
Level
7
Enemy, talk with Laura
Available characters
Micaiah_light_mage ​Edward ​Leonardo ​Nolan ​Laura ​Sothe_rogue ​

Item Data

Items
Name Obtainment Method
Is wii door key.png Door Key Dropped by enemy Fighter
Is wii herb.png Herb Steal from enemy Myrmidon
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Steal from enemy Archer
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Steal from enemy Archer
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Steal from enemy Armored Sword
Is wii steel axe.png Steel Axe Steal from enemy Fighter (either this or a Hand Axe)
Is wii hand axe.png Hand Axe Steal from enemy Fighter (either this or a Steel Axe)
Is wii steel lance.png Steel Lance Steal from enemy Soldier (either this or a Javelin)
Is wii javelin.png Javelin Steal from enemy Soldier (either this or a Steel Lance)
Is wii discipline scroll.png Discipline Steal from Burton
Is wii coin.png Coin Hidden treasure (the alcove on the right side of the map, above an Archer)
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Steal from reinforcement enemy Soldier
Is wii vulnerary.png Vulnerary Steal from reinforcement enemy Archer

Boss Data

Main article: Burton
Small portrait burton fe10.png
Sword Knight
Level 11
Affinity Is wii lightaffin.png
Constitution 11
Authority --
Stats
Max HP 29 Speed 13
Strength 13 Luck 4
Magic 4 Defense 12
Skill 12 Resistance 5
Movement 8 Weight 35
Inventory Skills
Is wii wind edge.png Wind Edge
Is wii discipline scroll.png Discipline
Is wii canto.png Canto
Weapon Levels
Swords D Lances -- Axes -- Bows -- Knives -- Strike weapons --
Fire magic -- Thunder magic -- Wind magic -- Light magic -- Dark magic -- Staves --
Biorhythm
Best
Good
Normal
Bad
Worst

Strategy

This section details unofficial strategies that may help with completion of the chapter. This may not work for everybody.

You get two newcomers in this chapter. Ilyana is the game's only Thunder Mage, and she is screwed over by Radiant Dawn's unique gameplay mechanics. On the plus side, she is the only character capable of using Rexbolt, giving her a unique niche in the army, and her stat spread allows her to mitigate the disadvantages of thunder magic (good Strength to ignore the heavy weight, good Magic to fix the poor might, and good Skill to fix the poor hit). However, she takes valuable experience from the Dawn Brigade and takes it over to the Greil Mercenaries in part 3, who don't particularly need an extra mage. What's worse, if you try to train her in part 3, she is a level 12 tier one unit trying to keep up with mid-level tier 2 units, which never ends well. Using her simply costs too much to be worth it. Aran, on the other hand, is an extremely valuable character. He provides badly-needed bulk to the Dawn Brigade and can get extremely early access to a Silver Lance, making him very powerful. He is outstripped by Nephenee in the endgame, but until then, he will be one of the Dawn Brigade's main backbones.

At the start, observe Burton. He is holding a valuable Discipline scroll, but he doesn't drop it. Sothe is going to have to steal it from him. The Soldier next to Burton has a Steel Lance and a Javelin; we also want to steal the Steel Lance (hehe!) for newcomer Aran.

Player Turn 1: Move Edward one space right. He should be able to kill the Fighter with the Door Key with two shots from his Iron Sword and one from his Steel Sword. Move Leonardo to the thicket to the left and have him wound the Myrmidon. Move Micaiah to the space one right and one below Leonardo. If she can finish the Myrmidon off, good. Have her do so. Bear in mind that her support with Sothe gives her +2 attack. Move Sothe below Leonardo, trade him the Steel Bow you got last chapter if you haven't done so already, and have him finish the Myrmidon if you need to. Move Nolan left one and three down. Use Direct to have Aimee and Kurth target the space above Leonardo, and have Laura and Ilyana join the main group.
Enemy Turn 1: A Fighter and an Armored Sword tag team Nolan, while another Fighter attacks Edward. Aran and two Soldiers appear on the left side of the map.

Player Turn 2: Have Edward finish his Fighter. Have Nolan finish his. This should level him up; keep growing Strength so he can swing around his Steel Axe unencumbered. Have Micaiah Thani the Armored Sword to death. Move Sothe to her left and have him equip his Bronze Dagger and rescue her, and have Laura heal Nolan. Move Ilyana above Laura and move Leonardo above Sothe.
Enemy Turn 2: Aran and one of his buddies attack Nolan, while the other one attacks Sothe. Weighed down by Micaiah, he is unable to double.

Player Turn 3: Have Nolan finish his Soldier. Have Sothe weaken the other Soldier and have Leonardo finish him off. Have Laura recruit Aran and heal Sothe. Move Aran two spaces to the right of the Soldier with the Javelin who hasn't moved yet and attack him with your own Javelin. Have Edward rejoin the main group.
Enemy Turn 3: The Soldier returns fire, and an Archer approaches but refuses to attack for some strange reason. So much the better.

Player Turn 4: Nolan finishes the Soldier. Have Laura heal Aran. Have Sothe move above the Archer and weaken him, and have Aran move to his right and finish him. Have Leonardo take Micaiah and drop her back onto the battlefield. Have Aimee, Kurth, Edward, and Ilyana advance.
Player Turn 5: Have Laura heal Nolan. Have Micaiah drop a Thani on the Armored Lance, have Sothe rescue her, and have Leonardo put her back on the field. Move Aran inside Burton's attack range and equip his Javelin. Move Ilyana so that she can attack the Archer to the right, but don't actually attack. Move Edward to her left.
Enemy Turn 5: Burton and a Soldier attack Aran. The Archer attacks Ilyana.

Player Turn 6: Have Ilyana finish the Archer and have Edward rescue her. Have Sothe swipe the Discipline and have Micaiah kill Burton. Laura heals Aran. Move Nolan to where Burton was standing, equip his Steel Axe, and have him wait. He should be able to just barely survive the incoming onslaught. Have Leonardo attack the Soldier and have Aran wait.
Enemy Turn 6: The Armored Axe attacks Sothe(?!), the Javelin guy attacks Nolan, and the Steel Lance guy attacks Aran. An Archer and a Myrmidon appear on the north side of the map.

Player Turn 7: Have Micaiah Thani the Armored Axe. Have Nolan and Leonardo attack the Steel Lance Soldier and have Aran finish him. Move Sothe above the Javelin Soldier and steal his Steel Lance. Have Laura heal Aran and have Edward drop Ilyana. Make sure to stay out of the northern Archer's range.
Enemy Turn 7: The southern guys attack Nolan and the northern guys approach.

Trivia

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

A Faint Light

--

← The Dispossessed • A Faint Light • A Distant Voice →
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Playable characters Part I AranBlack KnightEdwardFionaIlyanaJillLauraLeonardoMegMicaiahMuarimNailahNolanRafielSotheTauroneoTormodVikaVolugZihark
Part II AstridBromCalillDanvedElinciaGeoffreyHaarHeatherKieranLeanneLetheLuciaMakalovMarciaMordecaiNealuchiNephenee
Part III BoydGatrieIkeJanaffKyzaLyreMiaMistOscarRanulfReysonRhysRolfShinonSigrunSorenTanithTitaniaUlki
Part IV BastianCaineghisEnaGarethGiffcaKurthnagaLehranNaesalaNasirOliverPelleasRenningSanakiSkrimirStefanTibarnVolke
Non-playable characters AimeeAlderAlmedhaAmyAshuneraDanielJorgeLargoMustonNicoYuneZelgius
Bosses Part I AgonyBurtonDjurIsaiyaJarodLavertonPainPugoRadminWystanZaitan
Part II LudveckMarajTashoriaYeardleyZeffren
Part III CallumGoranIkeIstvanLethe/KezhdaLombrosoMicaiahRoarkRommitSeptimusSergeiSigrunSilvanoVeyona
Part IV AsheraBlack KnightCatalenaDheginseaHetzelIzukaLekainLevailNumidaOliverSephiranValtomeYuma
Background characters AltinaElenaGreilLanvegaLilliaLoraziehMisahaRajaionRamonSoan
Regalia and personal weapons AlonditeAmitiAshera StaffBalberithBaselardCaladbolgCreiddyladCymbelineDouble BowEttardFloreteLughnasadhMatronaRagnellRexauraRexboltRexcaliburRexflameTarvosThaniUrvanVague KattiWishblade
Chapters Part I P: Under Gray Skies • 1: Maiden of Miracles • 2: The Dispossessed • 3: A Faint Light • 4: A Distant Voice • 5: The Lost Heir • 6: Raise the Standard (stage 1stage 2) • 7: A Gathering Hope • 8: Glory Unwanted • 9: One SurvivesE: Daein, Arise!
Part II P: On Drifting Clouds • 1: Winds of Rebellion • 2: Tides of Intrigue • 3: Geoffrey's ChargeE: Elincia's Gambit
Part III P: The Great Advance • 1: Laguz and Beorc • 2: Stormclouds • 3: River Crossing • 4: The General's Hand • 5: Retreat! • 6: A Reason to Fight • 7: Rivals Collide • 8: Incandescent Glow • 9: Marauders • 10: The Heart of Crimea • 11: Just Cause • 12: The Price • 13: Blood ContractE: From Pain, Awakening
Part IV P: Chaos Named • 1: Road to the Empire • 2: Silent World • 3: Distortions • 4: Revelations • 5: Unforgivable SinE: Rebirth (1)E: Rebirth (2)E: Rebirth (3)E: Rebirth (4)E: Rebirth (5)
Locations TelliusBegnion (SienneTower of Guidance) • CrimeaDaeinDesert of DeathGalliaGoldoaGrann DesertHatariKilvasPhoenicisSerenes Forest
Groups, objects and events Ancient languageBlood pactDawn BrigadeDisciples of OrderGreat FloodGreil MercenariesLaguz AllianceLehran's MedallionMad King's War • Races (BeorcBrandedLaguzZunanma) • Serenes MassacreWarp Powder
Lists Base conversationsChaptersCharacters (Availability chart) • Classes (Class change) • Hidden treasureItemsScriptsSkillsWeapons
Related topics Data transferList of version differences (Name chart) • Other games (Path of Radiance) • Pre-release information (Unused content) • Sound RoomTimeline