Fire Emblem Fates – the differences between Birthright and Conquest

When Fire Emblem Fates was revealed to be divided into two games, Birthright and Conquest (and an additional third storyline caled ‘Invisible Kingdom’ which will be DLC), some fans were suspicious that this was a decision motivated moreso by capitalism than creative direction.

However, players are sharing their experiences with the differences between the games, which may alleviate some of these concerns.  If you choose to play only one of the set, you may find that you miss out on quite a bit.

The story unfolds differently.  

In the story’s opening, the main character is pressured to make the grave choice between siding with either the Hoshido Kingdom or the Nohr Kingdom.  In Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright and Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, you side with Hoshido and Nohr respectively.

The chapters that appear in each package are completely different.  In addition, not only does the story flow vastly differ between games, they have practically different maps.

The playing style for each game is different.

Not only the development of the story, but also the gameplay differs greatly depending on the scenario.

In Birthright, play style is much like the previous work, Fire Emblem: Awakening in terms of its battle system. You can earn as many experience points as you want according to each battle until you have fully grasped how to play while also enjoying the training of your unit characters.

However, in Conquest, there are absolutely no free battles.  Because the number of chapters in which you can challenge before the game ends is predetermined, managing which characters to raise, with what timing, how much money to use, etc. becomes essential. Although there are such things as “defensive battles” and “invasions”, while playing Conquest these do not amount to experience points.  

You will be proceeding to this battleground.  Yes/No?

People who have played works in this series might find it easier to compare Birthright to Fire Emblem: Awakening.  Conquest bears more resemblance to the very first game in the series, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.

The units that you can make part of your company/make your friends are different.

While there are several units who can become your allies in both scenarios, which units you can operate as your allies differ greatly within each game. From determining which units you can expect to become your allies to which will appear as your enemies. No matter which choice is made, a bitter fate awaits the main character.

“If you’re saying you’re going to the Hoshido Kingdom’s side no matter what, then do it after you have shown me you can defeat this brother of yours!”

Additionally, within each country the branch of army for allies have different tendencies, so for example if you want to use Pegasus Knights you will need to choose Birthright, if you want Armor Knights you will need to play Conquest.  

At the same time, however, there is a scouting system within the game where you can recruit captured enemy soldiers for your own army/team, so it is possible to use certain types of soldiers from the enemy side.

Obtainable items also differ.

Lastly, because of the differing cultures each country has, depending on which country you have aligned with certain weapons, tools, etc. may or may not be obtainable.

While in the Nohr Kingdom it is possible to acquire the familiar sword, in the Japanese influenced Hoshido Kingdom, the katana replaces the sword. Instead of a lance/spear a naginata, instead of an axe a club, furthermore new weapons such as “dark instruments” and shuriken, the variety of weapons that will appear in these games promises to be the largest ever.

All in all, while the Fire Emblem: Fates games share a good deal of common ground, they have each been developed in different directions, making both seem like interesting and worthwhile purchases.