Fire Emblem Engage gives players a chance to create their own army. Though there are many young soldiers in Fire Emblem Engage, some seasoned warriors take the field as well. One of the earliest allies you’ll find in Engage is Vander, and he can be a powerful ally, provided you give him the best build possible. Find out which Advanced Class helps make this knight shine in battle.
Vader’s Advanced Class: Paladin (Axe)

Weapon | Proficiency |
---|---|
Axe | S |
Vander starts the game as an Advanced Class; lucky for us, it’s the best choice. Vander works best as a Paladin, specifically the Paladin that wields an axe. An S Rank Proficiency with the Axe makes Vander one of the best in class with his weapon. Thanks to his steed, the Paladin is also mobile, quickly navigating the battlefield. His high Strength and defense stats make him the perfect guard for the Divine Dragon as well. For the most effective play, we suggest pairing Vander with Alear. Vanders’ unique ability, Alabaster Duty, grants the Divine Dragon +5 Critical hit rate whenever they’re adjacent.
Related: Fire Emblem Engage: Best Advanced Class for Clanne
Recommended Emblem: Ike

To further bolster Vander’s power, you’ll need an Emblem ring that compliments his strengths. We suggest Ike, a spirit that boosts Strength and Defense, two of the most important stats for this unit. The more you use Emblems, the higher your Bond with them grows. Bond levels grant access to new Bond Effects, abilities otherwise unobtainable in Fire Emblem Engage. You can see each of the Bond Effects for Ike from levels one to ten below and their effects.
Level | Bond Effects | Description |
---|---|---|
1 | Defense +1 | Grants Def +1. |
1 | Demolish | Break destructible terrain in a single blow when using Destroy |
1 | Resolve | If the unit’s HP is 75% or less after combat, grant Def/Res +5 as long as HP stays below 75% |
1 | Laguz Friend | The unit takes 50% less damage but sets the unit’s Avo to 0. |
1 | Great Aether | Use to grant Def/Res +5 for one turn. Next turn, attack a 2-space area and heal 30% of the damage dealt. |
1 | Hammer | Hammer of Emblem Ike. Smashes foes. Cannot follow up or strike first if initiating combat. Effective: Armored |
2 | Defense +2 | Grants Def +2 |
3 | Reposition | Use to move an adjacent ally to the opposite side of the unit. |
4 | Axe Power 1 | Grants Atk +2 at the cost of Avo -10 when using an axe. |
5 | Skill Inheritance | The unit can inherit this Emblem’s skills. |
6 | Axe Prof. | Proficiency with axes. Required for promotion to specific classes. |
7 | Axe Power 2 | Grants Atk +4 at the cost of Avo -10 when using an axe. |
8 | Defense +3 | Grants Def +3 |
9 | Sword Prof. | Proficiency with swords. Required for promotion to specific classes. |
10 | Urvan | Heirloom axe wielded by Emblem Ike. Grants Res +3. |
Once you hit Bond Rank five, you can inherit skills from Emblems and use them without the Emblem ring equipped. We suggest using an Emblem at least until you unlock Skill Inheritance and take these skills for Vander to use permanently. Once you’ve mastered Ike, there are plenty of other Emblems to try out and learn skills from, so keep swapping to earn those Bond bonuses.
For more on Fire Emblem Engage, please stick with us at Press SPACE to Jump!