Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - Lost Altars Pack (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Labelled the Lost Altars Pack, each of the ten pieces of content on offer from May 25th, 2017 onward within this pack consists of a very small, short and empty dungeon room, leading to an altar that presents itself much like Mila's idols do within regular dungeons found in the main game. A statue is present in each where the right characters may upgrade to a higher class under the right circumstances.

In these ten very specific cases, however, only units who have achieved level 20, the maximum level, within their highest tier class (dependant on earlier character promotions chosen by the player) are allowed to reach these DLC overclasses, turning them into living and walking powerhouses. Therefore, right off the bat, these pieces of DLC will only even be usable upon purchasing on the sole condition that the player has the right character at the maximum level and having already reached their last tier class, otherwise visiting those altars will prove completely unfruitful and the monetary investment a waste of previous currency until those aforementioned conditions are met.

Making the roster of classes are the Skogul, Spartan, Harrier, Enchantress, Exemplar, Yasha, Oliphantier, Guru, Rigain, and Conqueror. Most of the names of those classes will, in all likelihood, ring no bell to even the most hardcore Fire Emblem fans out there, and for good reason since most of those character classes are completely new and never before seen within the franchise. In fact, only the Conqueror class existed before, notably in Fire Emblem: Awakening, where Walhart himself was a Conqueror. The Skogul, obtained at the altar of the Destrier, is the corresponding overclass of the Gold Knight class and they are lance wielding mounted units. The Spartan, obtainable at the Altar of the Titan, is the overclass of the Baron class, which is another exclusively lance wielding class, at least in Shadows of Valentia, except these battle on foot. The Harrier, found at the Altar of the Skylord, is the overclass of the Falcon Knight, the flying lance wielding type of unit, except the Harrier is also now able to perform black magic. The Enchantress, found at the Altar of the Sorceress, is the overclass of the Priestess and they are still able to wield swords, black and white magic, but also learn new spells upon promotion: Death and Mire.

The Exemplar, obtained at the Altar of the Faerie is the overclass of the Saint and they retain their ability to use both black and white magic, but learn Ward and Restore upon overclassing. The Yasha is obtained at the Altar of the Ogre and is the overclass of the already exclusively sword wielding Dread Fighter. The Oliphantier, as its name doesn't suggest, is the overclass of the mounted units Bow Knights and is found within the Altar of the Marksman. The Guru acts as the overclass of the classic Sage class, is able to perform both black and white magic, and is found at the Altar of the Savant.

The last two overclasses, Rigain and Conqueror, are exclusive to Celica and Alm, respectively, and are the overclasses of their own final tiers, which, to avoid potential spoilers, will not be discussed here. For anyone looking to purchase individual Altars based on personal preferences, these are perhaps the easiest to decide upon since they are each exclusive to one character. Suffice to say that both classes can wield the exact same weapons as their preceding classes and, like every other previously mentioned overclass, bears the cosmetic advantage of giving a new exclusive look to the protagonists.

Beyond the new look, new character battle animations and effects pertaining to each new class, as well as in terms of further stat boosts, the attractiveness of each overclass is limited by the player's own enjoyment of such elements in the first place.

Anyone who enjoys watching battle animations play out and yearning to see and experience more, seeing their favourite characters becoming even stronger than otherwise, will certainly find enjoyment in those new classes, while others may find that this does not make for much content or even enjoyment out of the price that is asked to unlock them, especially since very strict conditions have to be met first before any character can reach those classes - conditions that perhaps not every player of Shadows of Valentia will be willing to fulfil just to gain access to so little more. That is not to say that what is on offer is bad - far from it - but simply that personal enjoyment thereof is once again very dependent on one's own experience with the main experience already available in the base package.