A few of my biggest complaints when it came to Fire Emblem Warriors’ roster was that seemingly fully functional characters were present yet unplayable in-game, and that one of them was a wholly unique style. Oboro’s status as a non-flying lance wielder I couldn’t try out was enough to provoke a death glare of my own, standing out as a torn seam in an otherwise enjoyable game. Leave it to post-launch DLC to be the answer, upgrading her and the likewise previously unplayable Niles to the standard roster and adding in the all new Azura to round out the cast.
If you just rolled your eyes at the idea of even more Fates characters filling out this roster, I’m right there with you. That said, all three manage to bring something to the table while also bolstering the game’s existing systems and features, such as more easier access to Niles and Oboro’s materials.
As the only Fates character I could understand being added, Azura brings a graceful lance based moveset with plenty of water themed attacks. Geysers, whirlpools and plenty of the ocean’s gray waves complement her spear strikes. Unique to her as a Songstress is the ability to fill allies’ meters with her singing, especially helpful if you either play with a partner or make frequent use of Pair Up attacks. This is further emphasized with her default skill, Amaterasu, which heals your Pair Up partner over time and cements Azura as a support character. She comes off as the star of the pack, being wholly new to the Fire Emblem Warriors experience and even gets her darker colored Conquest performance costume as an extra.
All that said, I think I find myself preferring Spear Fighter Oboro over the more elegant Azura. Her attacks mostly come out in wide arcs, making her basic chains perfect for grabbing several enemies at once. Plenty of weapon spinning and whirlwinds enhance that further, with her attacks breaking guards left and right and feeling like they have a real amount of weight behind them. With access to the Counter skill she can potentially strike back while blocking, giving her an edge when a little patience is necessary. Still, I feel like she should have been playable from the get-go, as one of the better Birthright retainers chalk her arrival up to better late than never.
While a lot of what I’ve said about Oboro could be applied to Niles, he unfortunately doesn’t get the benefit of a new playstyle. Carrying the same bow wielding set as Takumi and the other present archers, though with unique special attacks, Niles comes off as a more fan-servicey addition overall. How much mileage his biting tongue and “playful” personality gets will be determined by you — though I must admit that as a fan of the character it’s great to have access to supports featuring him. He also carries the Lethality skill, making critical hits absolutely devastating when his (or anyone you pass it on to) has their luck stat high enough.
On top of the trio of characters, the paid DLC also gives five costumes: the previously mentioned “Dark Songstress” for Azura, a Hoshido Noble look for female Corrin and Nohr Noble one for male Corrin, and Butler and Maid outfits for Takumi and Camilla, respectively. These last two costumes may be hinting at how the other DLC packs may handle outfits, serving as potential shoutouts to characters Jakob and Felicia as the original holders of these classes. Azura’s costume is given right away when you purchase the pack, with the rest requiring you play through the three new History maps added along with everything else.
How worth a purchase this pack (and I assume all the others to come) is a decision you’ll need to make. It wholly depends on how much you enjoy the core gameplay and building of characters in Musou-style games. Two out of the three characters are new styles, giving a little more weight to the pack than how I assume the others may turn out, and the costumes (and armor break models of all playable Fates characters) should please Fates fans. If you found yourself only invested in Fire Emblem Warriors as a passing title or couldn’t push yourself to finish the story, there’s no difficult decision to make: nothing here will win you over.
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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.
