Fire Emblem Engage places emphasis on the tactics part of the franchise, as opposed to its predecessor Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which was more focused on social aspects and characters. This means that as you make your way through Fire Emblem Engage, you’ll end up in some tricky spots that require careful attention. There are 26 Chapters in total (alongside a few side missions called Paralogues) and one particular area that players may have considerable difficulty with is Chapter 11, called “Retreat.”

Chapter 11 is made all the more tricky by how you go into it. By now, you’ll have become accustomed to the usual time between Chapters, where you have the option to go back to your floating fortress of The Somniel to pick up more supplies, upgrade your characters, engaged in support conversations, and more. That’s not an option here.

Compounding the challenge, the gameplay mechanics here are quite a bit different than everything that’s been in the game so far, so it’s understandable if you’ll need a bit of help to win, especially on higher difficulties. Just understanding the beginner’s tips won’t be enough, but don’t worry, you can succeed with a bit of preparation.

Here’s how to beat Chapter 11 in Fire Emblem Engage.

How to prepare for Fire Emblem Engage Chapter 11

Unlike the majority of the game, the combat portion of Chapter 11 immediately follows Chapter 10, “The Fell Dragon Sombron,” with no space in between. This means you won’t have an opportunity to select new characters or buy any equipment. Because of this, you need to prepare before beginning Chapter 10.

You’ll want a solid mix of characters with at least one Healer that doesn’t require an Emblem, making Framme a solid choice. You should also have a number of decent-quality (S or A rank if possible) Bond Rings crafted already that aren’t assigned to anyone.

As long as you’re playing in Casual mode and not Classic, you’ll get any characters back at the start of this mission that you lost in Chapter 10. If you’re playing on Classic mode, where Permadeath is enabled for characters, then this is an even more dangerous section and you’ll need to be extra careful.

How to complete Fire Emblem Engage Chapter 11

You’ll start Chapter 11, Retreat, with your party (appropriately enough) in full retreat from the forces of the Fell Dragon. You’ve lost your Emblem Rings, as well as the Draconic Time Crystal. Immediately do the following before kicking off the battle:

• Put your best-fitting Bond Rings on any characters that lost their Emblem Rings.
• Move your strongest characters to the back row, putting any weak characters in the front.
• Save your game.

Now, the main thing to keep in mind here is that you should not fight any enemies unless it is absolutely necessary because they are in your way. You need to be constantly moving, sending your units down toward the exit zone as fast as possible. Be more careful than usual when you do have to fight since you don’t have access to the Draconic Time Crystal in order to quickly reverse your mistakes.

After you make it roughly three-quarters of the way down the map, additional enemy reinforcements will spawn and come after you. Don’t despair, because this is where you’re getting some last-minute reinforcements.

Ivy has had a change of heart, and she’s here to help alongside Zelkov and Kagetsu. They’ve also brought two Emblem Rings, granting you Emblem Lucina and Emblem Lyn, which will be automatically attached to Alear and Ivy, respectively. Your new Elusian allies have also brought the Draconic Time Crystal, restoring your ability to reverse moves from this point on.

From here, things should be much easier. Use Lyn’s Engage ability to launch a devastating bow attack from a decent distance, which will help you clear out the escape route. You don’t need to get everyone through, simply having Alear move to one of the marked green spaces is enough.

Just keep moving, and you can get your forces out of there in no time at all.