The very first Fire Emblem game has finally been localized! This 30-year undertaking has brought a piece of Nintendo history to the west, and we’re here to help you make sure you don’t miss a single potential ally of Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light’s cast.
How many recruitable characters are in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light?
There are 52 recruitable characters in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. 27 of these characters are automatically recruited, so you’ll have to go out of your way to recruit the others.
How many recruitable characters are missable in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light?
Because only 27 of the game’s 52 characters are automatically recruited, there are 25 missable recruitable characters in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light.
How do I recruit characters in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light?
To recruit the 25 missable recruitable units, you’ll have to do one of two things to get them to ally with you: either visit villages or talk to certain enemies. Each comes with their own difficulties, and certain characters require that you do those actions with specific characters. Of these, Marth is the most important. Marth is the only character that can visit villages, and the majority of talk recruits require or include him as an option. If not Marth, Caeda is the most likely ally you’ll need to start the conversation and recruitment.
For villages, be aware that certain enemies will seek them out to potentially destroy them. To prevent this, we suggest sending high-movement allies such as mounted and flying to protect villages/clear out thievs until Marth can cross the map.
For recruitable enemies, the trickiest part is keeping them alive until the proper character can talk to them. Approach them wisely: don’t rush towards them with your strongest fighters, and make sure you don’t lose someone else trying to get them to join your cause. Most importantly, pay attention to the story (or this guide) to make sure you know who to send their way to flip their allegiance.
Using Bookmark and Turn Rewind
A few key additions in the 30th anniversary localization of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light will help with preventing any accidental murder or loss of units. Don’t be afraid to make use of the new Bookmark and Turn Rewind features to reset any mortality mishaps or village destructions.
Is it possible to recruit all characters in one playthrough of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light?
Sadly, no. Thanks to Chapter 16, it is impossible to recruit every playable unit in a single playthrough. Depending on which of two villages you visit, you will either recruit Arran or Samson — you cannot recruit both of them.
List of missable recruitable characters in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light
Here’s a full list of all 25 of the game’s missable characters, so you can make you can snag all of them (apart from Arran or Samson).
| Unit Name | Class | Chapter Recruited | How to Recruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrys | Curate | Chapter 1 | Western Village (Visit with Marth) |
| Castor | Hunter | Chapter 2 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Darros | Pirate | Chapter 2 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Navarre | Mercenary | Chapter 3 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Merric | Mage | Chapter 4 | Visit the northern village with Marth |
| Matthis | Cavalier | Chapter 4 | Enemy (Talk with Lena) |
| Wendell | Bishop | Chapter 5 | Enemy (Talk with Marth or Merric) |
| Rickard | Thief | Chapter 6 | Enemy (Talk with Marth or Julian) |
| Bantu | Manakete | Chapter 7 | Village (Visit with Marth; you must recruit Bantu to recruit Tiki in Chapter 19) |
| Roger | Knight | Chapter 8 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Jeorge | Sniper | Chapter 9 | Village (Visit with Marth) |
| Maria | Curate | Chapter 10 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Minerva | Dracoknight | Chapter 10 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Linde | Mage | Chapter 11 | Village (Visit with Marth) |
| Jake | Ballistician | Chapter 11 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Beck | Ballistician | Chapter 13 | Village (Visit with Marth) |
| Astram | Hero | Chapter 13 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Palla | Pegasus Knight | Chapter 14 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Catria | Pegasus Knight | Chapter 14 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Arran | Paladin | Chapter 16 | Left Village (Visit with Marth; do not visit Right Village) |
| Samson | Hero | Chapter 16 | Right Village (Visit with Marth; do not visit Left Village) |
| Xane | Freelancer | Chapter 16 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Est | Pegasus Knight | Chapter 18 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Tiki | Manakete | Chapter 19 | Enemy (Talk with Bantu) |
| Lorenz | General | Chapter 20 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
List of all recruitable characters in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light
And here’s a full list of all the recruitable characters in the game, including missables and those automatically added to your party.
| Unit Name | Class | Chapter Recruited | How to Recruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marth | Lord | Chapter 1 | Automatically from the start |
| Caeda | Pegasus Knight | Chapter 1 | Automatically from the start |
| Jagen | Paladin | Chapter 1 | Automatically from the start |
| Cain | Cavalier | Chapter 1 | Automatically from the start |
| Abel | Cavalier | Chapter 1 | Automatically from the start |
| Draug | Knight | Chapter 1 | Automatically from the start |
| Gordon | Archer | Chapter 1 | Automatically from the start |
| Wrys | Curate | Chapter 1 | Western Village (Visit with Marth) |
| Ogma | Mercenary | Chapter 2 | Automatically from the start |
| Barst | Fighter | Chapter 2 | Automatically from the start |
| Bord | Fighter | Chapter 2 | Automatically from the start |
| Cord | Fighter | Chapter 2 | Automatically from the start |
| Castor | Hunter | Chapter 2 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Darros | Pirate | Chapter 2 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Julian | Thief | Chapter 3 | Automatically from the start |
| Lena | Curate | Chapter 3 | Automatically from the start |
| Navarre | Mercenary | Chapter 3 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Merric | Mage | Chapter 4 | Visit the northern village with Marth |
| Matthis | Cavalier | Chapter 4 | Enemy (Talk with Lena) |
| Hardin | Cavalier | Chapter 5 | Automatically from the start |
| Wolf | Horseman | Chapter 5 | Automatically from the start |
| Sedgar | Horseman | Chapter 5 | Automatically from the start |
| Roshea | Cavalier | Chapter 5 | Automatically from the start |
| Vyland | Cavalier | Chapter 5 | Automatically from the start |
| Wendell | Bishop | Chapter 5 | Enemy (Talk with Marth or Merric) |
| Rickard | Thief | Chapter 6 | Enemy (Talk with Marth or Julian) |
| Bantu | Manakete | Chapter 7 | Village (Visit with Marth; you must recruit Bantu to recruit Tiki in Chapter 19) |
| Caesar | Mercenary | Chapter 8 | Automatically from the start |
| Radd | Mercenary | Chapter 8 | Automatically from the start |
| Roger | Knight | Chapter 8 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Jeorge | Sniper | Chapter 9 | Village (Visit with Marth) |
| Maria | Curate | Chapter 10 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Minerva | Dracoknight | Chapter 10 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Linde | Mage | Chapter 11 | Village (Visit with Marth) |
| Jake | Ballistician | Chapter 11 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Midia | Paladin | Chapter 12 | Automatically from the start |
| Dolph | Knight | Chapter 12 | Automatically from the start |
| Macellan | Knight | Chapter 12 | Automatically from the start |
| Tomas | Archer | Chapter 12 | Automatically from the start |
| Boah | Bishop | Chapter 12 | Automatically from the start |
| Beck | Ballistician | Chapter 13 | Village (Visit with Marth) |
| Astram | Hero | Chapter 13 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Palla | Pegasus Knight | Chapter 14 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Catria | Pegasus Knight | Chapter 14 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Arran | Paladin | Chapter 16 | Left Village (Visit with Marth; do not visit Right Village) |
| Samson | Hero | Chapter 16 | Right Village (Visit with Marth; do not visit Left Village) |
| Xane | Freelancer | Chapter 16 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Est | Pegasus Knight | Chapter 18 | Enemy (Talk with Marth) |
| Tiki | Manakete | Chapter 19 | Enemy (Talk with Bantu) |
| Lorenz | General | Chapter 20 | Enemy (Talk with Caeda) |
| Elice | Curate | Chapter 24 | Automatically from the start |
| Gotoh | Bishop | Chapter 25 | Automatically from the start |
More Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light guides
Looking for more help with Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light? Check out our other guides!
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Written by Ricky Berg
When he isn’t writing for Nintendo Wire, Ricky’s anticipating the next Kirby, Fire Emblem, or if the stars ever align, Mother 3 to be released. Till then he’ll have the warm comfort of Super Smash Bros. to keep him going.
