The end of another year means the start of another chapter in the ever-expanding saga of Fire Emblem Heroes. Soon heading into its fifth year of service, Nintendo’s mobile juggernaut opens the pages of Book VI, the latest installment of Heroes’ story, as well as a wealth of other noteworthy goodies and additions in its newest update. Here’s all you need to know about Fire Emblem Heroes’ 6.0.0 Update!
Unlike other turn-based strategy games, live PvP in Fire Emblem never works well, both on paper and in practice. With how ludicrously broken units and setups can be across certain titles, PvP turns into a bogged down waiting game, where the first player to actually make a move indubitably loses the entire match.Fire Emblem Heroes has mostly relegated “PvP” elements to player vs. other player’s AI-controlled teams for the past four years in modes like Arena, Arena Assault, Aether Raids, and Pawns of Loki. So, the fact that developer Intelligent Systems was bringing an actual live PvP mode, named Summoner Duels to Heroes, was a huge shock (and probably the biggest part of the 6.0.0 update) to all players, knowing how PvP goes for this franchise.
Points are awarded for both strategies, with units killed by a player’s selected captain unit earning bonus points upon kills. The player with the most points by the end of the five rounds wins though completely wiping out the enemy team is a viable strategy provided the player is lagging behind in points.Unlike most PvP modes, Summoner Duels is entirely casual, with no competitive ranking or matchmaking in place that other turn-based strategy games might tout. As a result, the mode is mostly stress and risk free. On top of this, the only rewards players can earn are total accumulated points, which are freemium to premium resources based on the number of collected points earned across all of a player’s matches.Regardless of its stress-free design, Summoner Duels is still in its infancy and has a great number of incredibly strong to outright broken strategies dominating the current fledgling metagame. As mentioned earlier, armor save units are invaluable in this mode, hence the one-unit limit, and units with extended mobility (like cavalry or odd/even tempest users) that are incredibly strong and capable of hit-and-run tactics. Units with the canto ability, a movement tool that lets units retreat to a certain distance after engaging in an action, are forces to be reckoned with. Facing off against any or all of these units at once is bound to be a headache.Still, the mode is quite fun to dabble in and mostly consequence-free thanks to the lack of a competitive ladder. Developers ensure more rewards for players down the line in future updates so there is really nothing to lose in the end. With some polish and future quality-of-life changes, Summoner Duels could end up being one of Fire Emblem Heroes’ premier game modes.
Every big numerical update also brings with it the next book (or season) in Fire Emblem Heroes’ storyline. So far, the Order of Heroes has ventured to the worlds of ice and fire, the realm of the dead, the dreamscape of fairies, and the land of dwarves and giants, all complete with Heroes’ Norse mythology roots. Book VI takes players back to the roots of Heroes’ conflict, the clash between the Kingdom of Askr and the Emblian Empire, which was the primary story beat in Book I (and subsequently dropped for more exotic locations and story threads). As such, we will be getting more lore and fleshed out details of our neighboring empire to the north.
Launching alongside the new mythic hero, the bovine servant Ash, long-awaited characters from Fire Emblem: Awakening have finally arrived. The inclusion of Priam, Flavia, Basilio, and Miriel almost completes the full Awakening roster, leaving only Vaike, Ricken, and the rest of Awakening’s second generation as the final remainders.
Though few, there are some quality-of-life changes that come with the 6.0.0 update. Players can now sort their barracks more specifically thanks to new categories put in place to distinguish heroes from one another. Filters like Hero Type (Legendary, Mythic, Duo, Harmonic, Dance) and Version Number (Game version when the unit was added), make it very easy to sort, organize, and locate a hero of the player’s choosing. As is the case with every monthly update, a batch of weapon refineries have come as well, giving longtime characters Libra, Nailah, Walhart, Loki, and Summer Tiki personal weapon upgrades that give them a competitive edge in the ever growing sea that is Heroes’ powercreep. Also, thanks to the addition of Summoner Duels, a new profile card feature has been implemented, letting players show off their records to their friends list. With how starved Fire Emblem Heroes is in its social interaction/integration department, this is a welcome addition for the community at large. The 6.0.0 update was one of the bigger content updates Fire Emblem Heroes has seen in a long time. With how much money this game grosses for Nintendo, it is no wonder it continues to expand and flesh out the mobile game in whatever way it can. Things will definitely not be slowing down for Heroes in the foreseeable future and we hope it stays that way.
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Includes several titles.
Which was showcased at E3 2003.