Nintendo dropped 20 minutes of gameplay and information about the upcoming Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.
A new Fire Emblem is always cause for celebration, with Nintendo celebrating the upcoming release of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave with a dedicated Direct. They showed off more than 20 minutes of gameplay, going over the different systems and things we’ll see in the full title when it launches in September. It’s the first Fire Emblem since 2023’s Fire Emblem Engage, which was great but didn’t hit the heights of the recent fan favourite in 2019’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Let’s recap all the new information from the Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Direct.
The Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Direct kicked off with a look at the story. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave takes place in the country of Dagda in 1449, specifically in the capital city of Dagsion. Markets, temples, and ports are all over the city, along with a coliseum, where heroic games are held in tribute to Dagda, the founding king. Solel, the current ruler, will grant a wish to the winner of the games.
Players can choose between four characters, all with their own storylines. Cai, a young boy, sets out to free his father who has been imprisoned. Dietrich, a wandering warrior, gets attacked on the seas and washes ashore in Dagda. He learns of the heroic games and decides to compete, looking for a satisfying challenge. Theodora is from a culture that worships a deity of death and night, one that most people look down on. She joins the games to restore the glory of her gods.
Leda, a young woman blessed with musical talent, is consumed by rage after an unknown killer murders her father. She joins the games after hearing that her father’s killer will also be part of the games. The motivations of all these characters will come to odds in the heroic games.
At the top of the match, you pick your squad and starting positions, and the battle begins. The Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave Direct then ran through basic gameplay mechanics, including explaining how the grid-based tactics and attacks work. Different weapons were also shown off, including swords, gauntlets, spears, axes, bows, magic, and more. Each has its benefits and weaknesses. Gauntlets get in close and increase evasion, while magic can blast enemies with elemental spells. The battle animations look fluid and flashy, promising massive fights and cinematic moments.
Blaze arts are new abilities unique to each new character. Cai shoots a massive energy attack across the field that bursts into fire; Dietrich can teleport and deal damage; Leda can summon monsters — each of their special moves comes at the cost of health but can turn the tide in a battle. You can also turn back time to redo moves at any earlier point, letting the player change fatal mistakes.
The class system was shown off next, with different tiers of classes that get more powerful. There are beginner classes, specialty, and advanced classes, with multiple to choose from in each category. Shido warriors are skilled with swords; Bishops use white magic, each class carrying different weapons, range of movement, stats, and more. Beginner classes are the foundation, while specialty and advanced classes get even stronger, offering new abilities and methods of movement.
Between matches, you’ll have free time to prepare for the next match in the games. You’ll have information on your next opponent, making prep time incredibly important. You can train at the arena, which can grant experience and access to stronger weapons. You can watch opponent matches to learn about their strategies. Shopping is also an option, buying and enhancing your gear. Temple Row has multiple temples you can volunteer at, each granting different boons for volunteer hours, including temporary state buffs. Certification exams let your units change classes if they pass.
Players can also pick up quests from townsfolk, completing them before the deadline grants plenty of rewards. Dagsion is also home to plenty of powerful warriors which you can recruit to join your squad. Not all will join easily, with some requiring gifts and courting to be persuaded. Inns can auto-pass time and gather materials automatically, with support conversations between characters that got close possibly taking place. There are even more ways to spend free time that can be unlocked.
The Pale Raven’s Perch lets you jump between protagonists, saving the progress for each character. This means you can run each campaign in parallel, playing through all at the same time if you choose to. The world map also awaits, where each action costs time. You can journey to new places, fight enemies, traverse dungeons, gather materials and more, all offering new ways to make your crew stronger. The dungeons offer a brand new turn-based combat system, changing up combat entirely for dungeon fights.
Each hero has specific talents that can be incredibly useful when travelling the world map. Dietrich can smoke out enemies in hiding, Cai can tame monsters, Leda can complete performances for extra materials and items — every protagonist offers a different way to prepare for the next match in the game.
The Direct then time jumps to 1454, with the world now a postapocalyptic wreck compared to what it was. Statues are destroyed, the sky is red – a far cry from the bright colours and jovial vibes of the heroic games just five years prior. Dagda faces its end at the hands of a demon god and the four heroes from the heroic games have disappeared. Sothis, a god we’ve seen before in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, calls down a single soul to stand against the forces of evil.
The story’s true protagonist reveals themselves, clad in white with two possible routes forward. Take the fight head on alone, or use the time traveling abilities of the goddess Fortuna, traveling back in time to try to save the heroes of the past to fight when the time comes. Both paths are open, each offering a different way to fight the demon god and hopefully save the world.
Nintendo also announced that tracks from Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave will hit the Nintendo Music platform today, along with a new theme and more information leading up to launch on Nintendo Today. An Ask the Dev article will also drop on September 15 to share more information on the development of the game. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave looks incredibly ambitious, and thankfully, the wait to play it won’t be long. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave launches on September 17, 2026, with pre-orders available now.
