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Dragon Vein

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
For the skill from Engage, see Dragon Vein (skill).
One of the dragon figures that appears when using a Dragon Vein.
The blood of dragons flows in your veins, as it does in all royals. You must learn to harness this draconic power wherever you may find it.
— Xander, to Corrin.

Dragon Vein (Japanese: 竜脈 Dragon's Vein) is a special ability introduced in Fire Emblem Fates which allows its user to alter the terrain around them to their tactical advantage, for instance, forming a bridge out of stone where there was nothing before, or draining water to form a path through a river. It is possessed by the royal families of Nohr, Hoshido, and Valla. The ability itself is claimed by both royal families to be inherited from a dragon ancestor.[1] In actuality, however, it comes from their ancestors drinking the blood of the First Dragons, working similarly to Holy Blood in Jugdral.

Overview

In gameplay, Dragon Veins are shown by a glowing orb on a tile in the map. Units that can use Dragon Vein have a crown icon (Is 3ds02 dragon vein icon.png) next to their name. A unit with Dragon Vein should move to the tile with this orb and select the "Dragon Vein" option, and the terrain will change based on context. Units of any allegiance can use dragon veins, though use of it by enemies is uncommon.

The effects of the vein when activated are incredibly context sensitive, though the same dragon vein will always have the same effect in subsequent playthroughs. The effects are not hidden from the player, if the cursor is placed over the Vein the game will display a short amount of text describing the Vein's effects. These effects can be beneficial or detrimental, so the player should take them into account.

Dragon Vein Points

Dragon Vein is also part of the My Castle feature, in the form of Dragon Vein Points. Dragon Vein Points are required to build and upgrade facilities. One point is gained per completed battle, be they main story chapters, paralogues, skirmishes, or Streetpass battles. The maximum Dragon Vein points a player can have is 99.

List of Dragon Veins

Starting chapters

Dragon Veins in the starting chapters
Chapter Effects
Prologue Summons fire to dry up the river; inaccessible by the player.
Chapter 1 Reveals a healing tile; inaccessible by the player.
Chapter 2 Clears away debris to reveal a healing area.
Chapter 3 Raises a stone bridge leading to the fortress.
Chapter 4 Turns mountain terrain into plains.

Birthright campaign

Dragon Veins in the Birthright campaign
Chapter Effects
Chapter 6 Summons fire to dry up the river.
Chapter 7 Reveals an area of healing tiles.
Chapter 8 Turns desert terrain into plains.
Chapter 9 Heal all allies in range.
Chapter 10 Reveals spike traps that hurt units standing on them each turn.
Chapter 11 Creates cyclones that impede the movement of flying units.
Chapter 12 Freezes the water to make it passable by grounded units.
Chapter 13 Summons thunder that reduces the HP of enemies to 1.
Chapter 14 Triggers a rock slide that inflicts 10 damage to all enemies in range.
Chapter 15 Reduces the stats of all enemies by 4 (recovers by 1 per turn).
Chapter 17 Freezes the lake to make it passable by grounded units.
Chapter 18 Turns the spot it was on into a marsh that summons Faceless.
Chapter 20 Dispels fortress' stomach acid that summons Faceless.
Chapter 21 Dragon Veins below orbs carried by statues form a bridge.
The ones next to these cause more lava to flow in.
Chapter 22 Heals all units in range.
Chapter 23 Shoots a fireball that damages enemies in range.
Chapter 24 Creates cyclones that impede the movement of flying units.
Chapter 25 Summons corrosive wind that destroys equipment of all enemies in range.
Endgame Turns map tiles into blighted tiles. Any unit standing on them
loses 10 HP, while Garon regains HP.

Conquest campaign

Dragon Veins in the Conquest campaign
Chapter Effects
Chapter 6 Summons fire to dry up the river.
Chapter 8 Melts the lake to make it impassable by grounded units for 1 turn.
Chapter 9 Summons acid rain that reduces the HP of units in range to 1.
Chapter 10 Lowers the river to make it passable by grounded units.
Chapter 12 Summons an earthquake to break all pots.
Chapter 15 Creates replicas of the player's team on the other side of the chasm.
Chapter 17 Move rocks that will open or block paths across the cavern.
Chapter 20 Summon winds that move enemies in range.
Also moves playable units on Hard and Lunatic.
Chapter 21 Freeze all enemy movement for 1 turn.
Chapter 22 Removes a levee to allow unit movement if used by the player.
Brings all the levees back up if used by the enemy.
Chapter 24 Increase grounded units' movement and hampers flying units if
used by the player. Does the opposite if used by the enemy.
Chapter 25 Turns all healing tiles into avoid penalty tiles.
Endgame Create barriers to block the area-of-effect attack.

Revelation campaign

Dragon Veins in the Conquest campaign
Chapter Effects
Chapter 6 Summons fire to dry up the river.
Chapter 8 Reveals an area of healing tiles.
Chapter 9 Summon winds that move enemies in range.
Chapter 11 Removes spike traps that hurt units standing on them each turn.
Chapter 12 Create bridges of ice between the boats.
Chapter 13 Lowers the river to make it passable by grounded units.
Chapter 14 Lowers the river to make it passable by grounded units.
Chapter 16 Controls the eruptions to make them passable or impassable.
Chapter 18 Damages the statue to reveal a teleport sigil.
Chapter 19 Creates replicas of the player's team on the other side of the chasm.
Chapter 20 Moves the bridges along with all units on it.
Chapter 21 Swaps the red and blue rooms which manipulate the enemies' class.
Chapter 22 Burns the forest to make is passable by grounded units.
Chapter 25 Destroys a lock to reach the room with Sumeragi.
Chapter 26 Freezes the water that summons reinforcements.
Chapter 27 Replaces the water terrain with a healing tile.

Paralogues

Dragon Veins in the Conquest campaign
Chapter Effects
Paralogue 2 Fills or empties the moats to make it passable or impassable
to grounded units.
Paralogue 6 Burns the forest to make is passable by grounded units.
Paralogue 7 Turns desert terrain into plains.
Paralogue 9 Destroys a wall to make it passable by units.
Paralogue 12 Freezes the rivers to make it passable by grounded units.
Paralogue 14 Dispels acid-bog that summons Faceless.
Paralogue 15 Summons fire to burn the woods and drys the water, turning all
terrain into plains and prevents reinforcements.
Paralogue 18 Prevents enemies from using Magic for 1 turn.
Paralogue 19 Force enemies in range to flee, awarding 500 gold per enemy.

DLC chapters

Dragon Veins in the Conquest campaign
Chapter Effects
Beach Brawl Reduces the stats of all enemies by 8 (recovers by 1 per turn).
Royal Royale Creates replicas of the player's army and freeze enemy
movement for 1 turn.
Hidden Truths 2 Cracks the ground along with healing, buffing, and refreshing the user.
A fourth one moves the island and grants the user stat boosts and skills.
V: Endless Dawn Remove obstacles blocking the path to Mikoto; inaccessible to the player.
End: Lost in the Waves Opens a path to Anankos and creates Dragon Vein terrain.
Hoshidan Festival of Bonds Summons a mikoshi that reduces the HP of units in range to 1.
Nohrian Festival of Bonds Summons a giant pumpkin that reduces the HP of units in range to 1.

Warriors

Dragon Veins in Warriors
Chapter Effects
Chapter 6 Raise stone bridges to form a path.
Chapter 7 Raise stone bridges to form a path.
Chapter 9 Activates a geyser to cool the lava damaging units over time.
Chapter 10 Activates a geyser to cool the lava damaging units over time.
Chapter 11 Dispel the fog to allow for visibility.
Chapter 12 Lowers the water to reveal a path.
Chapter 15 Grow branches to form a path.
Chapter 19 Repair fallen buildings to reveal a path.
Chapter 20 Removes the walls of branches to access the paths.
Endgame Repair damaged space-time to reach Velezark.

Characters who possess Dragon Vein

Units who are able to access Dragon Veins are marked with a crown icon (Is 3ds02 dragon vein icon.png) next to their name on their stat profiles. There are sixteen playable characters who will always have the ability to access Dragon Veins:

Small portrait corrin f fe14.png Small portrait azura fe14.png Small portrait ryoma fe14.png Small portrait hinoka fe14.png Small portrait takumi fe14.png Small portrait sakura fe14.png Small portrait xander fe14.png Small portrait camilla fe14.png
Corrin Azura Ryoma Hinoka Takumi Sakura Xander Camilla
Small portrait leo fe14.png Small portrait elise fe14.png Small portrait kana m fe14.png Small portrait shigure fe14.png Small portrait shiro fe14.png Small portrait kiragi fe14.png Small portrait siegbert fe14.png Small portrait forrest fe14.png
Leo Elise Kana Shigure Shiro Kiragi Siegbert Forrest

In addition to this sixteen, any children of a character with Dragon Vein will also inherit the Dragon Vein ability, allowing the player to choose pairings to expand the number of units with the Dragon Vein ability with specific children. For example, if Camilla, a bearer of Dragon Vein, marries Arthur the resulting child, Percy, will inherit the Dragon Vein ability.

Also, the DLC item First Blood will give any other playable unit the Dragon Vein ability when used on them, regardless of their heritage.

There are also several enemy characters that have Dragon Vein access. Their utilization of the ability is generally restricted to scripted events, or on specific turns during a chapter. Any playable character who can use Dragon Veins can also use them as an enemy.

Small portrait arete fe14.png Small portrait garon fe14.png Small portrait mikoto fe14.png Small portrait sumeragi fe14.png Small portrait anankos fe14.png
Arete Garon Mikoto Sumeragi Anankos

Other appearances

Fire Emblem Cipher

Dragon Veins appear as a special type of skill in Fire Emblem Cipher, and were introduced in the sixth series. Skills which are marked with Is TCGCipher Dragon Vein.png are classed as Dragon Vein skills, tend to be very powerful and have unconventional effects, and are paid for by flipping one orb card face-up, optionally with an additional cost in bond cards.

Currently, eight cards have Dragon Vein skills:

  • Xander (B06-051SR Unifier of the Kingdom of Nohr) has the Dragon Vein Godly Wind, which enables all allied cards to attack any enemy regardless of range restrictions until the end of the turn, for a cost of flipping one orb.
  • Camilla (B06-054SR Beautiful Obsidian Princess) has the Dragon Vein Eruption, which allows her to instantly destroy all enemies (excluding the opponent's lord) in a single row of the battlefield, for a cost of flipping one orb and three bond cards.
  • Leo (B06-056SR Dark Prince of Chilling Magic) has the Dragon Vein Terror, which allows him to use his turn to instantly destroy one non-lord enemy unit, for a cost of flipping one orb and one bond card. Additionally, it prevents the opponent from deploying any other card depicting the character Leo destroyed as a unit until the end of their next turn.
  • Elise (B06-058SR Princess Blooming in a Dark Land) has the Dragon Vein Substitute, which gives her a +30 attack power boost until the end of her turn for a cost of flipping one orb and one bond card. Additionally, it allows the player to untap Elise after she makes a moment, if they have as many or fewer orbs remaining compared to their opponent.
  • Ryoma (B07-051SR Unifier of the Kingdom of Hoshido) has the Dragon Vein Thunder Call, which increases his range to 1-2 and prevents non-lord enemy units from evading his attacks until the end of his turn, for a cost of flipping one orb.
  • Hinoka (B07-054SR Valiant Crimson Wings) has the Dragon Vein Transition. It allows the player to select one flying-type card with a cost of 3 or lower from their deck and deploy it, then shuffle their deck, for a cost of flipping one orb and two bond cards. It can only be used once per turn.
  • Takumi (B07-056SR Prince of the White Breeze) has the Dragon Vein Parting the Sea. It allows the player to select one bow-wielding card with a cost of 3 or lower from their hand and deploy it, for a cost of flipping one orb. It can only be used once per turn.
  • Sakura (B07-058SR Blossom Fluttering in Hoshido) has the Dragon Vein Recovery. It allows the player to draw three cards, for a cost of flipping one orb and three bond cards. Additionally, it allows the player to immediately untap Sakura after completing this action, if they have as many or fewer orbs remaining compared to their opponent.

Fire Emblem Warriors

Tiki standing on a Dragon Vein in Warriors.

Dragon Veins appear in Fire Emblem Warriors in forts. A fort must first be seized by the player to be used by one of the player's units. The effects of a Dragon Vein are contextual, they can open new paths or nullify hazards. Activating a dragon vein can be optional or required depending on the particular battle, some simply provide shortcuts while others allow access to required areas. To activate a dragon vein have a player controlled unit stand atop the green pool representing it and press the Y button. Unlike in Fates any character can activate a Dragon Vein in Warriors.

Trivia

  • The limited edition Fire Emblem Fates New Nintendo 3DS XL console features the four Dragon Vein figures on its shell.
  • Despite being the daughter of Anankos, Lilith is unable to use Dragon Veins.

Etymology and other languages

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

Dragon Vein

Refers to terrain associated with dragons, and has important meaning in Chinese feng shui—the flow of energy—properties.[2]

Japanese

竜脈

Literally it means "dragon's vein", but can also be translated several other ways, including "dragon's pulse" or "dragon's stream".

Spanish

Vena de dragón

Dragon's vein

French

Veine dragunaire

Dragon vein

German

Drachenader

Dragonvein

Italian

Vena del drago

Dragon's vein

Portuguese

Veia do dragão

Dragon's vein; mentioned in Heroes.

Korean

용맥

Dragon vein

Traditional Chinese

龍脈

Lit. "dragon's vein". Mentioned in Heroes.

Gallery

References

  1. "Both Hoshido and Nohr are devout followers of dragons known as the "First Dragons" and the humans of the royal families are said to inherit the blood of dragons. The royal family members--the Avatar included--possess abilities surpassing that of humans because of the blood's effect." — VincentASM, Known Information (2nd April) (webpage), Serenesforest.net, Published: May 12th, 2015, Retrieved: May 16th, 2015
  2. "By the way, "Dragon’s vein" is a Chinese term for terrain that resembles a dragon; such terrain has various important feng shui properties." — VincentASM, April Direct Analysis, Serenesforest.net, Published: April 1, 2015, Retrieved: May 16, 2015
Fire Emblem Fates
Playable characters Birthright
Birthright
AsugiAzamaAzuraCaeldoriCorrinDwyerFeliciaHanaHayatoHinataHinokaHisameIzanaJakobKadenKageroKanaKazeKiragiMidoriMitamaMozuOboroOrochiReinaRhajatRinkahRyomaSaizoSakuraScarletSelkieSetsunaShigureShiroShuraSilasSophieSubakiTakumiYukimura
Conquest
Conquest
ArthurAzuraBennyBerukaCamillaCharlotteCorrinDwyerEffieEliseFeliciaFloraForrestGunterIgnatiusIzanaJakobKanaKazeKeatonLaslowLeoMidoriMozuNilesNinaNyxOdinOpheliaPercyPeriSelenaShigureShuraSiegbertSilasSoleilSophieVelouriaXander
Revelation
Revelation
ArthurAsugiAzamaAzuraBennyBerukaCaeldoriCamillaCharlotteCorrinDwyerEffieEliseFeliciaFloraForrestFugaGunterHanaHayatoHinataHinokaHisameIgnatiusJakobKadenKageroKanaKazeKeatonKiragiLaslowLeoMidoriMitamaMozuNilesNinaNyxOboroOdinOpheliaOrochiPercyPeriReinaRhajatRinkahRyomaSaizoSakuraScarletSelenaSelkieSetsunaShigureShiroShuraSiegbertSilasSoleilSophieSubakiTakumiVelouriaXander
DLC Anna
amiibo IkeLucinaMarthRobin
Non-playable characters CassitaLaylaLilithRainbow Sage
Bosses ???AnankosAnthonyAreteCandaceDaichiDanielaFunkeGaronGazakHaitakaHansIagoKilmaKotaroKumageraLlewelynLloydMikotoNicholOmozuSennoSumeragiTakumiTarbaZharaZola
Background characters CadrosIkonaKaterinaMoro
Regalia and personal weapons Astral BlessingAurgelmirBifröstBölverkBrynhildrChakramExcaliburFujin YumiGanglariHagakure BladeMissiletainnPursuerRaijintoSiegfriedSkadiWaterwheelYato
Chapters Prologue P: Ties That Bind • 1: Nohr • 2: Gift of Ganglari • 3: Journey Begins • 4: Hoshido • 5: Mother • 6: The Path Is Yours
Birthright
Birthright
6: In the White Light • 7: A Vow Upheld • 8: Fierce Winds • 9: Land of Gods • 10: Ninja Village • 11: To the Sea • 12: Dark Reunion • 13: Another Hope • 14: Light Scatters • 15: Wolfskin Peak • 16: Pleasure Palace • 17: Lost in the Ice • 18: Leo • 19: Rainbow Sage • 20: Fort Dragonfall • 21: Burning Falls • 22: Hidden Capital • 23: Camilla • 24: Tears of a Dragon • 25: Traitor Revealed • 26: Xander • 27: King GaronE: Dawn Breaks
Conquest
Conquest
6: Embrace the Dark • 7: A Dragon's Decree • 8: Cold Reception • 9: Another Trial • 10: Unhappy Reunion • 11: Rainbow Sage • 12: Bitter Intrigue • 13: Uprising • 14: Voice of Paradise • 15: The Black Pillar • 16: Invasion • 17: Den of Betrayal • 18: Black & White • 19: Kitsune Lair • 20: Winds of Change • 21: Eternal Stairway • 22: Sakura • 23: Possessed • 24: Hinoka • 25: Ryoma • 26: Treason • 27: The Empty KingE: Night Breaks Through
Revelation
Revelation
6: Into the Ground • 7: Unspeakable World • 8: Traitor's Brand • 9: Wanderer • 10: Voice of a God • 11: Mutual Enemies • 12: Frozen Sea • 13: A Lost Peace • 14: Orders • 15: Rainbow Sage • 16: White Flames • 17: Black Flames • 18: Veiled Kingdom • 19: Hidden Strings • 20: Seeds of Doubt • 21: Going Forward • 22: Memories • 23: Arete Undone • 24: Days Lost • 25: Blades Drawn • 26: The Vallite King • 27: Hear My CryE: Anankos
Paralogues 1: Tragic Start • 2: Dragon Blood • 3: Surprise Duet • 4: Fight or Flight • 5: Bold Approach • 6: Herbal Remedy • 7: Father & Liege • 8: A Great Hunt • 9: Saizo vs. Saizo • 10: Hunter & Prey • 11: A Long Grudge • 12: Sweet Dreams • 13: Truly Talented • 14: After the End • 15: Hidden Bravery • 16: Abducted • 17: Two Defenders • 18: Nutty Family • 19: Great Heroism • 20: Ultimate Power • 21: Bright Smile • 22: Abrupt Clash
Invasions Birthright: Invasion 1Invasion 2Invasion 3Conquest: Invasion 1Invasion 2Invasion 3Revelation: Invasion 1Invasion 2Invasion 3
DLC chapters Ghostly GoldBoo CampMuseum MeleeBeach BrawlRoyal RoyaleBefore AwakeningHidden Truths 1Hidden Truths 2Vanguard DawnAnna on the RunBallistician BlitzWitches' TrialA Gift from AnnaAnother Gift from AnnaI: In Endless DreamsII: Realms CollideIII: The Changing TideIV: Light's SacrificeV: Endless DawnEnd: Lost in the WavesHoshidan Festival of BondsNohrian Festival of Bonds
Hero Battles Hero-King MarthRadiant Hero IkePrincess LucinaGrandmaster Robin
Locations Deeprealms (My Castle) • Hoshido (Flame TribeIzumoKohgaMokushuWind Tribe) • Nohr (Dragon's GateIce TribeNestra) • Notre SagesseValla (Bottomless Canyon)
Groups, objects, and concepts Ancient TextsDragon VeinMy Castle
Lists ChaptersCharactersClasses (Class change) • ItemsScriptsSkillsSupportsWeapons
Related topics 4koma Comic & Character Guide BookCrown of NibelungDownloadable contentName chart • Other games (Awakening) • Pre-release information (Unused content) • Soundtrack
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