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Support

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
Revision as of 03:42, 28 August 2019 by Thecornerman (talk | contribs) (→‎Linked Attack: Added the list of allied pairs)

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Genny receiving support bonuses from Sonya, indicated by Sonya's portrait to the left and the orange portions of the hit and crit bars.

Support is a game mechanic introduced in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem that deals with relationships between characters. In most games featuring supports, each character has a predetermined set of other characters that he or she can support. In Radiant Dawn, supports became open so that any character can support with any other character. In Shadow Dragon and New Mystery of the Emblem, characters again only support certain other characters.

Games featuring supports

rowspan=2 style="Template:Roundtl; border:1px solid #222222; width: 15%"|Support type Available in: rowspan=2 style="Template:Roundtr; border:1px solid #222222; width:30%"|Notes
FE01 FE02 FE03 FE04 FE05 FE06 FE07 FE08 FE09 FE10 FE11 FE12 FE13 FE14 FE15 FE16 FEH
Bond support Gaiden features a prototypical system wherein Alm receives a critical bonus from Celica when adjacent. Genealogy of the Holy War has a somewhat similar feature in the combination bonus.
Ranked support New Mystery of the Emblem features three-tiered base conversations that could be considered similar to the ranked support system. Hidden and without conversations in the DS games.
A means that the mechanic is available in that game, while a indicates the contrary.

Support types

Bond supports

The earliest incarnation of the support system. In Mystery of the Emblem, Thracia 776, Radiant Dawn, and Echoes: Shadows of Valentia characters within three spaces from another character (usually one with whom they have a pre-existing relationship), gain bonuses in hit, avoid, critical rate, and, in Thracia 776, dodge.

Radiant Dawn and Echoes: Shadows of Valentia feature both bond supports and ranked supports. In Radiant Dawn, in addition to preset bond supports, any units who attained an A support in Path of Radiance will have a bond support in Radiant Dawn, provided the data transfer function is used.

Ranked supports

This support type features in The Binding Blade, The Blazing Blade, The Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, Shadow Dragon, New Mystery of the Emblem, and Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. It also appears in Awakening and Fates, though with the addition of another rank and differences in how the stat bonuses are handled.

When two characters form a support relationship, they receive stat bonuses either based on the combination of their affinities, or custom per-character modifiers, if the game in question lacks affinities. These bonuses take effect when the two characters are within three tiles of each other. There are three support levels, C, B, and A, and each level contributes higher bonuses to both character's stats. Support levels are known as support ranks in the English version of Heroes (though the icons stating what level units have together still says "level", unchanged from the Japanese version), and are coloquially referred to by this name as well.

In the GBA games and Path of Radiance, each character can support up to five times, so they may have anywhere from five C level supports to one A support and one B support. In Radiant Dawn, a character can only have up to an A support with any one character, but they may abandon this support in favor of another at any time. Once a support has been abandoned, though, those two characters can no longer support with each other.

In Shadow Dragon and New Mystery of the Emblem, there are no affinities or support conversations, and the support mechanic is hidden (much like non-Radiant Dawn bond supports). They support with preset characters, and can be one sided (Marth and Kris give bonuses to everyone).

In Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, units are not limited in how many times they can support, and affinity does not exist.

Fire Emblem Heroes introduced a ranked support system into the game in the game with the 1.7.0 update on September 5 2017. Supports in Heroes are similar to Radiant Dawn's support system, the player can choose any pair they desire, and build the character's supports through battle. Supports in Heroes go up to S rank. Any pair of characters, regardless of their relations, can reach S rank.

S and A+ level supports

Awakening introduces an S support level, which can only be achieved by characters of opposite genders who are not siblings or parents and children, and only once per save file by each character. When two characters reach S support with each other, they will be married to each other, and, if the couple contains at least one of Chrom, Robin, Lissa, Sully, Miriel, Sumia, Maribelle, Panne, Cordelia, Nowi, Tharja, Olivia, or Cherche, the marriage will produce a child, or children, who may be recruited in paralogue chapters. Opposite-gendered children may also S-support with each other or Robin, but only marrying Robin will produce a "third-generation" child. Sibling and parent-and-child relationships can reach a maximum level of A-support, but supporting characters can have any number of A level supports.

Unlike in previous games, the stat boosts are fixed for each level of support: C support awards +10 to Hit and Avoid, B support adds +10 to Hit, Avoid and Dodge, A support adds +10 to Hit, Avoid, Critical rate and Dodge, and S support adds +15 to Hit, and +10 to Avoid, Critical, and Dodge. These can be boosted further if one of the characters has the Dual Support+ skill. Support levels will also increase the potency of Pair Up bonuses. These stat boosts will only take effect if the supporting characters are paired up or standing beside each other. In addition to fighting together, the support level of two characters can be upgraded during random events in the Barracks.

Fates support system is similar to Awakening's, with the revamped Pair Up system still being influenced by support level. In addition to the S support level (marriage) achievable toward any character of the opposite gender (except for siblings), an A+ support level (friendship) has been added and is achievable between any two characters of the same gender (with the exception of Corrin, who doesn't have any A+ support). The Partner Seal and Friendship Seal reclassing items let a character adopt the class of their A+ or S support, respectively. The Supportive skill exclusive to Corrin takes support level into account. The Records Hall in My Castle let the player read all unlocked support dialogues in the “Support Log” section. My Castle also provides three different ways to increase support level, either during random events between two characters, by equipping a character with an accessory when he or she requests it (after purchasing the Accessory Shop) or by selecting “Invite Ally” in the Private Quarters (triggering a minigame in Japanese versions only).

Support points

In the GBA games, characters gain support points by standing next to each other in battle. In Path of Radiance through New Mystery of the Emblem, characters gain support points by being deployed in the same chapter. In Awakening, characters receive support points by fighting together while paired up or standing beside each other, using a Seed of Trust while paired up, or triggering random events together on event tiles or in the Barracks.

Increasing support points and support level


This section has been marked as a stub. Please help improve the page by adding information.


The amount of points needed to progress to the next level varies by game.

Support conversations

Artwork of Odin and Laslow during a support conversation.

One of the most well known and popular aspects of supports. In some games starting from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade onward, every time a support level is increased, the two characters carry on a conversation in which they learn more about each other. In every game featuring support conversations, aside from Radiant Dawn, most conversations are unique. In Radiant Dawn, because of the open nature of supports, conversations are much more generic and short-lived.

Generally speaking, each pair of characters has three or four conversations, progressing from C to A, or C to S depending on the game and pair. There are some characters that are exceptions to this, like Pent, who can only reach level B with other characters, as he always has an A level support with his wife, Louise.

Linked Attack

Linked Attacks are a support-based system featured only in Fire Emblem: Three Houses so far. In that game, Linked Attacks act as the method by which stat bonuses from supports are granted to a unit. They occur if a unit targets an enemy while there are other allied units present that could attack the same enemy from their current position and range. Note that current range is dependent on an ally's weapon. If, for example, an ally is two spaces away from the target with a 1-range weapon, a Linked Attack will not occur; if the ally equips a 2-range weapon in the same position, however, a Linked Attack will occur. This makes it advantageous to equip longer-ranged weapons before attacking, even if the ally will not use that weapon for the rest of their turn. Linked Attacks do not factor in additional range granted by combat arts or gambits. They also do not factor in a unit's full movement when checking if the unit can attack the target—only their current position. If a Linked Attack can occur, the combat forecast will display smaller portraits of each supporting ally, linked up to the main unit by lines.

The potency of a Linked Attack's stat bonuses is proportional to both the number of allied units that can attack the target, as well as the attacking unit's support level with each of them. All units will grant additional hit and avoid to the main attacker, though only certain pairs of units will grant them additional might as well.

style="Template:Roundt; border:none" width="100%" colspan="3" | Linked Attack bonus from a single ally
style="Template:Roundtl; border:none; background-color: #222222" | Support level Stat boost
(any allied pair)
style="Template:Roundtr; border:none; background-color: #222222" | Stat boost
(certain allied pairs)
None Hit +3, Avoid +3 Hit +3, Avoid +3
C Hit +5, Avoid +5 Might +1, Hit +5, Avoid +5
B Hit +7, Avoid +7 Might +2, Hit +7, Avoid +7
style="Template:Roundbl; border:none; background-color: #222222" | A Hit +10, Avoid +10 style="Template:Roundbr; border:none; background-color: #222222" | Might +3, Hit +10, Avoid +10

The particular pairs of units that grant increased Linked Attack bonuses are as follows:

  • Byleth and Edelgard
  • Byleth and Dimitri
  • Byleth and Claude
  • Byleth and Flayn
  • Edelgard and Hubert
  • Dimitri and Dedue
  • Claude and Hilda
  • Ferdinand and Lorenz
  • Bernadetta and Marianne
  • Dorothea and Hilda
  • Dorothea and Manuela
  • Felix and Sylvain
  • Felix and Ingrid
  • Sylvain and Ingrid
  • Mercedes and Annette
  • Annette and Gilbert
  • Raphael and Ignatz
  • Leonie and Alois
  • Seteth and Flayn
  • Catherine and Shamir

A Linked Attack will only factor in up to three supporting allies on the field along with an adjutant, for a total of four allies. This means that the maximum Linked Attack bonus values are +40 Hit and +40 Avoid, if three supporting allies are in range, an adjutant is set, and the user has reached an A-rank support with all of them.

Other appearances

Fire Emblem Warriors

The ranked support mechanic is in Fire Emblem Warriors, with support conversations.

Etymology and other languages

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

Support

--

Spanish

Apoyo
Apoyar

Support

French

Soutien

Support

German

Unterst

Support

Italian

Sostegno

Support

Gallery

Artwork

Screenshots

See also

Supports

Related mechanics

Game mechanics
Out-of-battle management Base (BarracksBase CampBase conversationEveryone's ConditionsExpeditionGarreg Mach Monastery (Abyss) • My CastleSomniel) • Bonus experienceDungeonsGameplay modes (DifficultyCreature CampaignNew Game +) • GoldLessonsMila ShrinesPeddlerPreparationsRenownShopping (ArmoryBargainsForgeItem shopMerchantOnline shopSecret shop) • Supply convoyWorld map
Battles and chapters ArenaBattle saveBossCastleChapter (Alternate routeParalogueSide quest) • ChestCombat forecastEvent tilesHidden treasureObjectivesReinforcementSkirmishTerrain (Hazards) • Turn (Turn rewind) • Weather (Fog of war) • Village
Stats Units ActionAffinityAuthorityBiorhythmCharmClass (Class masteryClass relative powerUnit type) • Constitution (Aid) • DefenseExperienceFollow-up critical multiplierGrowth rateHit pointHoly BloodInventoryLevelLuckMagicMovementProficiencyResistanceSkillSpeedStrengthWeapon levelWeight
Weapons Brave weaponCritical rateDurabilityHitKill bonusMightPersonal weaponsRangeWeapon experienceWeapon levelWeightWorth
Unit mechanics and commands AdjutantAttack (Counterattack) • Auto-BattleBattalion (Gambit) • CantoChain attackChain GuardClass change (Reclass) • Combat artCrestsDance (GaldrarPlaySing) • Death (Decoy) • DismountDragon VeinEmblem RingsFatigueInventoryLaguz transformationLove (JealousyInheritance) • Pair UpRallyRecruitmentRescue (Capture) • Skills (Offensive skill) • SmashStaggering BlowStatus effectsSupportTalkTradeUnit (AvatarBond unitsBonus unitEinherjarLoan unitPrisonerReplacement unitSubstitute character) • Visit
Calculations AttackAttack speedAvoidBonus damageCritical hit (Combination bonusDodgeTriangle Attack) • Hit rate (True hit) • Random number generatorWeapon triangle (Trinity of magic)
Connectivity amiiboData transferDouble DuelDownloadable contentLink ArenaMultiplayer battleOnline shopSpotPassStreetPass
Other BarrierBirthdayClass rollGlitchesMultiple endingsRankingsSound RoomTactician bonus