I still remember the moment I realized Chapter 7 was going to be a special kind of disaster. The cutscene ends, and there she is—Hortensia, flanked by her personal air force of smug Pegasus Knights and her two generals who look like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Right out of the gate, this map gave me flashbacks to every time I’ve ever said “It’s just one more chapter before bed” at 2 a.m. … I was so naive.

The whole thing feels like a straight-up brawl on a very long, very exposed runway. No surprise reinforcements, no weird gimmicks—just a test of raw muscle and positioning. And let me tell you, Hortensia brought the muscle. I had to make some gut-wrenching choices before the fight even started, which is never a good sign.

The Great Unit Purge of ’26

Nine deployment slots. Thirteen potential soldiers. That’s math I didn’t want to do. Alear, of course, is forced to come along, so I had to pick eight babysitters. I stared at the roster for way too long, like I was drafting a fantasy sports team and my dignity was on the line.

Louis and Chloe were my immediate locks. Louis is a walking wall who eats lances for breakfast, and Chloe is this dodge-tanking angel who practically pirouettes around attacks. With half the enemy roster being flying nuisances, Etie got a golden ticket too—her arrows and those sky ponies were about to become very well acquainted. Mages? I grabbed Celine and Clanne, because setting things on fire from a distance makes me feel smart. I also made sure to bring one or two axe users for the inevitable lance party, and tossed in Vander for some emergency “get off my lawn” smashing power. Sorry, Boucheron and Anna, maybe next timeline.

Those Weird Tiles Aren’t Just For Show

Early on, I charged one of my axe fighters at a Lance Fighter standing on one of those odd square platforms and… nothing. The break effect just fizzled. For a second I thought my game glitched, but nope—it’s those tiles. They basically say “lol, no” to weapon triangle shenanigans.

Honestly, though? The enemy didn’t seem to love being on those platforms either. After the first two stubborn lancers, everyone else charged at me like I’d insulted their mothers. They abandoned those fancy tiles faster than I abandon my long-term planning when I see a shiny new weapon. Still, if you get a chance to park one of your own units on those squares, do it. It’s a tiny power trip that feels wonderful.

Layer Cake of Pain

The bridge layout couldn’t be more linear. It’s basically a long hallway where the enemy types come in waves: lancers first, then mages, then axe-wielding cavaliers, armored swordies, more cavaliers, and finally Hortensia’s personal entourage. I positioned my archers at the very edges of the screen—Etie to the north, Alcryst to the south—and kept my axe users near the front line. Louis handled the upper route where those two mages hung out, while Chloe danced along the lower half like she owned the place.

The two mages were dealt with quickly thanks to Chloe and Alcryst tag-teaming them into oblivion. Then the cavaliers rushed forward, and right on cue, Pegasus Knights swooped in from both flanks. I wish I could say it was a tense moment, but my archers were already aimed. Those poor pegasi didn’t stand a chance. I almost felt bad. Almost.

When the armored sword fighters and the next batch of cavaliers showed up, I let Alear and Celine go into Engage mode. There are two Emblem Energy pools right there, so you can burn your special moves with reckless abandon. I moved my lance users and archers forward to prep for the final curtain call, which featured Hortensia, Rosado, and Goldmary.

Kill Her Quickly or Loot the Room?

Here’s where I always freeze. Hortensia flies right into the danger zone like she’s invincible. If you just want the map over with, you can swarm her with Louis, Celine’s Warp Ragnarok, and both archers and finish her in one turn. It’s brutally efficient and kind of hilarious. But Rosado drops a Steel Axe, and both she and Goldmary offer some juicy XP. My inner loot goblin wouldn’t let that go.

So I went for the full clear. Alear shattered Rosado’s weapon, an archer finished her off, another archer deleted one Pegasus Knight, and Celine’s Warp Ragnarok vaporized the other. Then I turtled up, healed everyone, and weathered the last few attacks like a slightly embarrassed general who just wasted resources for a shiny axe. Worth it.

The Afterparty

After the dust settled, I scoured the area for goodies. Two Steel Ingots near the northern wall, 50 Bond Fragments and 60 Iron Ingots at the bottom. I also tried to adopt an Aura Eagle or a Brodian Cat, but the donation system laughed at my hopes. At least I snagged a lovely Elyosian Pigeon, who now poops happily in my Somniel.

This chapter taught me that sometimes simple maps are the most stressful. No gimmicks means no excuses. You either come prepared, or you reset and cry a little. I definitely did both. And you know what? I’d do it all over again just to hear my archers yell another one-liner while one-shotting a flying general. Fire Emblem Engage, you beautiful, infuriating thing.

This content draws upon benchmarking perspectives from Digital Foundry, and while Chapter 7’s “long runway brawl” is mostly about clean positioning and dealing with flier pressure, smooth performance and readable effects matter a lot when you’re lining up archers, Engage skills, and enemy-phase baiting on a narrow bridge. Seeing how combat animations, UI clarity, and frame pacing hold up in busy turns can directly impact how confident you feel committing to risky plays—like burning Engage by the two Emblem Energy pools or choosing to full-clear for drops instead of deleting Hortensia immediately.