Talk (Japanese:話すTalk) is a specialised command that allows two units to speak with each other for various purposes. The talk command has appeared in every game in theFire Emblem series, with the only exception beingFire Emblem Gaiden, which lacks talk as a command entirely. However, inGaiden characters can still be spoken to, they simply need to be walked up to.

Overview

Requirements

The requirements for making the command appear vary on a case by case basis. In many cases, simply placing compatible units next to each other and using the command are all that is required.

Generally the most difficult requirement is figuring out who should actually talk to whom. Often, the main character will suffice, but if they cannot talk, hints are usually provided in the dialogue scenes before or during battle.

For example,Marisa inFire Emblem: The Sacred Stones can only be recruited by talking to her with eitherGerik orEwan, not with eitherEphraim orEirika. Her recruitment requirements are hinted several times before and during the chapter. Gerik mentions her by name^[1] before she appears, after Marisa appears, an enemy soldier specifically mentions that she is a member ofGerik's Mercenaries,^[2] hopefully leading the player to the conclusion that Gerik should talk to Marisa.

Of particular note is that both enemies and NPCs have access to the Talk command, though uses of it are uncommon; a notable exception isClarine's recruitment inFire Emblem: The Binding Blade, where she will only joinRoy's army if she talks to him on the Other Phase instead of the Player Phase.

In some games, likeThracia 776, units cannot talk if either unit issilenced.^{[Check if a rescued unit can talk to their rescuer in the GBA games]} InAwakening andFates, units within the samePair Up formation can talk to each other, though instances of this occurrence are nearly exclusive to each game's Downloadable Content.

Uses of the talk command

Under most circumstances, and most famously, Talk is used in order to recruit characters into the player's army regardless of their previous allegiance, thus bolstering their current reserves of units.

There are instances where the talk command is simply used for supplementary dialogue as well.Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade,Genealogy of the Holy War, andShadow Dragon are the games that makes the most use of this.The Blazing Blade'sFinal Chapter has several talk conversations betweenLyn,Eliwood, andHector that feature them commenting on recent events to no real benefit of the player aside from more character interactions.Genealogy's supplemental conversations frequently have tangible bonuses, and some of them can be likened to a prototypical version of the modernsupport conversation system.Genealogy's conversations can boost a character'slove points, grant permanent stat boosts, and give units rare items. InShadow Dragon, some conversations (such as the one betweenXane andTiki) are akin to support conversations in other games, while others are newly recruited units talking withMarth.

There are also instances when talking does not recruit the character directly into the army. InThe Blazing Blade,Jaffar, who starts as an ally unit inChapter 26E/28H, can be talk to withNino. He will still be an ally unit, but will join you at the end of the chapter.

In rare circumstances, talking can actually have negative effects on the game.Jill inPath of Radiance, for instance, will choose to defect from theGreil Mercenaries in order to fight alongside her fatherShiharam, provided she does not have an A support withMist. Another example can potentially be seen inChapter 27/29 inThe Blazing Blade, where Nino can speak withLloyd in an attempt to get him to lower his arms to no success. After Nino speaks to Lloyd, he ceases being stationary and will actually move from his throne tile to attack other units.

Methods to find who can talk to whom

In most games, the only ways for the player to figure out who can talk to who are from context clues, as mentioned above.

However, some games, likeFire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War,Awakening, andFates feature UI elements to make determining talk partners easier for the player.

Genealogy of the Holy War has a specific section in the unit screen dedicated to listing units that can be talked to. This section shows all conversations, be they recruitment conversations, lover conversations, or supplementary conversations. This section is present on units of any allegiance. InRadiant Dawn, this is shown on the unit select menu of the preparation screen.

In games fromShadow Dragon onward, if the unit that can be talked to is in the movement range of the initiator, the space that unit is on will be highlighted in yellow. This yellow highlight is shown for all conversations, be they recruitment conversations or supplementary conversations.

In addition to the yellow highlight, games fromAwakening onward also have a speech bubble featuring the word "Talk!" in it that appears above units that can talk when they are in displayed range. This icon also appears for all conversations, be they recruitment conversations or supplementary conversations, although supplementary conversations pretty much only appear withinAwakening's downloadable content.

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

• 
  Leif's status screen showing he can talk (かいわ) toAltena (アルテナ).
• 
  The talk command appearing inFranz's menu.
• 
  Franz selectingAmelia to talk to.
• 
  Chrom can talk toTharja, indicated by the word "Talk!"

See also

• Support conversation

References