Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon/Prologue

"Long ago, Medeus, king of the dragonkin, conquered the continent of Akaneia beginning an age of fear and despair for all it's people. That tyranny was broken, however, thanks to a miracle. A young man hailing from the Altea region appeared with a divine blade in hand. He stood against the Shadow Dragon ,and struck him down. For some time after, the land enjoyed an age of peace. However, after a century's passing, the Shadow Dragon returned. He forged an alliance with a fiendish sorcerer who sought to rule the world, and their combines might toppled kingdom upon unsuspecting kingdom. Again, darkness threatened to engulf the continent. It fell upon the king of Altea, sole descendant of the dragon-slayer hero, to sally forth with the divine blade and fulfill his blood destiny. ''His son, Prince Marth, remained at home with the boy's mother, his elder sister ,and a garrison manned by Altea's neighbor and ally, Gra. Thus the boy applied himself to the ways of both pen and sword, until one day...''"

Preparation
The game opens in a musty castle corridor, Marth is walking to an exit when he is greeted by a soldier.

Begin
You are left in a seemingly empty hall. It's not going to be that way soon, but don't worry, just move as far as you can toward the throne. Soon after, the enemies move toward you. Don't worry about anything in this fight, the enemies are weak. Just attack the closest one with any weapon of choice (might want to save your Rapier for later). On the enemy phase, you will be attacked by one guy. You should automatically kill him on your counter-attack.

Back to your turn, move close to the throne (as far as possible). The next guy that attacks is stronger, it will take three strikes to kill him. They won't do too much damage to you so don't worry. The next enemy is programmed to wait for you to cross through the small gap.

After a short scene, just go up to the throne and attack him with your weapon of choice. He should be dead soon after his counterattack. Seize the throne after. Choose "Yes" to proceed.

Part Two
For now, it may be best to keep both Cavaliers balanced and Marth getting experience when the Cavaliers are tied up. Right from the beginning, take one Cavalier and destroy the first soldier. Take Abel to do it, so Frey can deal with the far-left enemy. Remember the weapon triangle and use a sword instead of the lance. Marth should just advance normally. Without warning, the enemy decides to talk.

The far-left enemy should counter-attack Frey and die because of it. One enemy troop should move forward and Marth will comment about the archers... The next soldier should be taken by Abel. Steel sword should kill him in two hits (sometimes an enemy will be weak enough that the weapon triangle doesn't matter all that much).

After this, just advance Marth further. One archer should attack Marth, take care of him (might take two turns). As for the other archer, Abel should use the Javelin and watch the enemy counter-attack and die. After this turn, use Marth to finish off the archer, and use Abel to Javelin the boss to death (should only take one turn, he's that weak).

Seize the gate afterwards. A friendly Paladin by the name of Jagen will appear to talk...

Part Three
"Thus Prince Marth escaped Altea Castle with Sir Jagen and company at his side. However, this success would mean little to him once he learned the cost. The boy's woes were just beginning."

It's usually best to keep only two cavaliers in a party at any time. Choose between Abel, Cain, and Frey. Abel and Frey should already be a little ahead of Cain at this point, but it's still a choice.

Sit Jagen at the corner of the map. He is what they call a pre-promoted character, he comes to you strong. For now he is extremely powerful compared to other characters (especially with his silver lance), but if you don't want to mess up your other characters, leave him doing nothing.

For the cavalier you decided you don't want, trade his equipment to other char- acters and then leave him sitting there.

Advance with three characters (two Cavaliers and Marth). Use one cavalier to attack the soldier at the bottom of the screen One of your cavaliers will defeat another enemy. Two other enemies will move toward your position. Use that same cavalier to attack the archer. Experiment with the different weapons to find one that will kill the archer in two strikes. That same cavalier will destroy the adjacent enemy when he attacks. Now, move that cavalier out of the way and let the other two characters get some experience.

Your other two characters should easily defeat the enemies. Just focus on specific enemies (archers), retreat if you mess up, and remember that counter attacks are your friend. Once you approach the bridge leading to the last two enemies, Marth will interrupt with a comment about mages.

Mages in this game hit abnormally high. Lure the first mage in, then kill him. Watch your HP, the enemies deal a hefty 8 damage. Now, one of your characters is probably seriously hurt, take the other one and defeat the boss. Seize and... another scene.

Part Four
"Marth and his knights took refuge in a forest near Altea's borders, lying low while they waiting for the right chance to escape the kingdom. Before long, the enemy grew less watchful: the time to slip away had come. Still, the prince could not quell the sadness in his heart for his sister Elice."

So the battle begins. This is the map where you will have to use your character in... ways. Defeat the first three troops. After you end your first phase, the enemy in the back will talk.

Basically, just finish whatever is left of the two enemies then unlock the door and recruit Gordin with Marth. Note that you should get an iron bow from one of the enemies.

Gordin is considered weak, however he can turn out alright. For people who enjoy abusing stuff in the game, he can easily become a fantastic sniper (if you get lucky with his stat level ups). Use him in your party and promote him at level 20 if you want to see what he can do.

Give Gordin the iron bow. The next turn the main army is back and really strong.

The enemy is closing in and you need to get one of your characters as a decoy. It is unavoidable, there is no other way to finish this chapter since the door to the boss is locked. The knights will just keep advancing. Even Jagen-the-overpowered paladin with a silver lance can't kill one.

Now, you must realize that YOU WILL LOSE your character that you put as a decoy You have one of two choice: the cavalier that you decided not to train OR Jagen. Whoever you choose, take whatever weapons they might have and put them as decoy. Jagen's dialogue (if he is chosen to be the decoy): "Heh, these old bones are still good for something." A cutscene will follow.

For the remainder of the mission, just defeat the enemies and the boss. Pegasus Knights will spawn to the left, use Gordin's arrows to win. Visit the village with Marth and get the steel bow. Give the steel bow to Gordin when you get a chance. Then, just kill the boss with Marth's rapier and seize.

"And so Marth and his knights left Altea, heavy of heart and bleary of age..."