Welcome to one of the most critical aspects of early investment in Fire Emblem Engage: forging and upgrading your weapons. With durability now a thing of the past, Engage introduces a layered forging system that lets you enhance and evolve your gear, not just reinforce it. This guide breaks down how the weapon system works, where to begin, what materials you’ll need, and how each weapon category evolves along its respective tree. From the intricacies of swords and axes to the nuances of daggers and tomes, let’s cover it all.

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How Forging Works in Engage

Once you unlock the Somniel, which happens around Chapter 4, you’ll eventually gain access to the Smithy. Here, you can refine your weapons using three materials:

• Iron Ingots
• Steel Ingots
• Silver Ingots

These are your primary upgrade resources. One of the most efficient early-game tips is to adopt dogs and place five of them at the Somniel farm—they frequently generate silver ingots, often giving two or three per chapter. An easy way to keep a steady supply.

Every weapon can be upgraded to +5, but more interestingly, many weapons can evolve into entirely different ones via branching trees. Let’s explore this system by weapon type.

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Sword Evolution Paths

• Slim Sword → Iron Sword
• Iron Sword → Steel Sword / Armor Slayer / Killing Edge
• Steel Sword → Silver Sword / Levin Sword (1–2 range magic) / Wo Dao (high crit)
• Silver Sword → Brave Sword / Wyrmslayer

Unique swords like Liberation and Folkvangr do not branch—they simply level to +5.

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Lance Evolution Paths

• Slim Lance → Iron Lance
• Iron Lance → Steel Lance / Rider’s Bane (cavalry effectiveness) / Killer Lance
• Steel Lance → Silver Lance / Flame Lance (magic 1–2 range)
• Silver Lance → Brave Lance

Notably, Javelin evolves into Spear, and the Great Lance follows the iron → steel → silver progression.

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Axe Evolution Paths

• Compact Axe → Iron Axe
• Iron Axe → Steel Axe / Killer Axe / Hammer (Hammer = armor + cavalry effectiveness)
• Steel Axe → Silver Axe / Poleax
• Silver Axe → Brave Axe / Hurricane Axe (magic; flier effectiveness)

Hand Axe evolves into the Tomahawk, which is a 1–2 range option with low hit but high might—expensive to upgrade but worthwhile.

The Great Axe line mirrors swords and lances: iron → steel → silver.

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Bow Evolution Paths

• Mini Bow → Iron Bow
• Iron Bow → Steel Bow / Killer Bow
• Steel Bow → Silver Bow / Longbow (extra range)
• Silver Bow → Brave Bow / Radiant Bow (magic variant)

The Longbow and Radiant Bow are standout tools for coverage and flexibility, especially against fliers.

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Magic Tome Paths

Magic unfortunately has limited branching, though it remains highly impactful.

• Surge → Elsurge → +5 (short-range spell only)
• Fire → Elfire → Bolganone
• Thunder → Elthunder → Thoron (1–3 range, low hit)
• Wind → Elwind → Excalibur (effective vs. fliers)

No long-range magic like Meteor or Bolting appears available. No ice magic, either.

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Dagger Evolution Paths

Daggers are categorized into two chains:

• Short Knife → Iron Dagger → Steel Dagger → Silver Dagger → +5
• Card → Stiletto → Peshkatz (high crit, 1-range variants)

Daggers universally apply poison which stacks up to three times and boosts damage taken—especially valuable for boss fights. The options are a bit linear, but their utility remains high.

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Fist (Art) Evolution Paths

Fist weapons start simple, but one standout branch adds major power:

• Initiate Art → Iron Art → Steel Art → Shielding Art or Silver Art
• Silver Art → Flashing Fist Art (Brave effect; attacks twice on initiation, +5 SPD)

Flashing Fist Art is the endgame weapon for martial units—high might, decent hit, and relatively cheap to fully upgrade. It’s an essential pick for any serious fist user.

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General Tips for Forging Strategy

• Focus on your core units first. Avoid spreading your materials too thinly.
• +1 to +3 is generally the sweet spot. Beyond that, costs ramp up fast—especially silver ingots.
• Specialty weapons (Armor Slayer, Longbow, Brave variants) are worth prioritizing for effectiveness.
• Don’t overspend in the regional donation system. While you can earn unique weapons this way, stop around level 3—forge funds are usually better spent directly.

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Final Thoughts

Forging in Fire Emblem Engage may seem straightforward, but the branching system gives it depth and tactical value. Prioritize wisely—some branches lead to niche weapons, while others, like Flashing Fist or Radiant Bow, can define endgame builds. If you’re efficient with your materials, and know which paths to pursue, your army will be far more lethal and flexible across the campaign.

And don’t forget those dogs—silver ingots don’t farm themselves. Happy forging!