Trade (Japanese:交換trade), is a map menu option that exists in nearly everyFire Emblem series game. It allows two adjacent units to give or exchangeitems andweapons with each other. Units may also trade with the character they arerescuing orPaired Up with. There are only two games where trading as a function does not exist in its full form.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light andGenealogy of the Holy War both lack the ability for units to directly swap items. This also makesFire Emblem Gaiden the firstFire Emblem series game to introduce the ability to switch items between two units at once, instead ofShadow Dragon & the Blade of Light'sgive system, which only allowed units to place items into each other's empty inventory spaces.

Overview

Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light only has the "Give" option (labeled "Trade" in the Switch localization), which places an item in an adjacent unit's inventory if they have a free slot; if they do not have a free slot, they cannot accept the item. Unlike future games, giving an item will also end the unit's turn.Genealogy of the Holy War does not allow trading at all; instead, items must be sold to the pawn shop and rebought by the character that needs the item.

The first game to truly feature the trade mechanic feature wasGaiden, with every game exceptGenealogy also featuring it. Trade is also accessible from the Preparations Menu in most games, allowing the player to organize units' inventories without spending turns in battle. Trading allows the player to access both units' inventory and exchange or give items at will.

The conditions to initiate a trade between two units have a few options. Two units that are adjacent to each other may initiate a trade, and a unit may trade with arescued orcaptured unit either in their possession. A unit may also initiate a trade with a rescued unit in the possession of an adjacent unit, except inPath of Radiance. Units together in aPair Up formation may also trade. Many items can be moved around the inventory at once, as long as the player does not leave the inventory menu.

In most games, once the player leaves the inventory menu, the active unit's turn is ended, though in most games the unit may take another action on the space they traded or useCanto to move elsewhere. InThracia 776 andThree Houses only, a unit can repeatedly trade with multiple adjacent allies, as well as any carried units, an infinite number of times until they take a turn ending action. In every other game with trading, after the first trade is finished, the "Trade" option disappears from the menu and no further trading is possible with that unit's turn without the help of a refreshing unit or simply another unit who elects to trade with them.

In most games, one useful aspect of trade is that it allows a unit to change an equipped weapon after they have ended their turn. If another unit rearranges their inventory through trading, their equipped weapon changes to the first wieldable weapon listed highest in their inventory.

Enemy trading

Very rarely, in some games, enemy units also have the AI to use the trade command. The games that give enemies this function areFire Emblem: Thracia 776,The Binding Blade,The Blazing Blade,The Sacred Stones,Path of Radiance, andRadiant Dawn. It is mostly used to trade healing items to units that need them, and weapons are very rarely, if at all, moved around enemy inventories.

InThracia 776, enemies will tradeVulneraries from other enemies to themselves if they are low on HP and are not being healed by another enemy. They will also trade equippable weapons from other enemies to themselves if they have no weapon , but will only do so if the enemy giving the weapon has another equippable weapon for themselves, such that the act of trading does not completely disarm another enemy in the process. In both cases, it is the damaged or disarmed enemy that initiates the trade and seeks out other enemies to do so, while healthy or equipped enemies will not proactively trade on their own.

Trade-locks

There are a handful of items in theFire Emblem series that are trade-locked, and thus cannot be traded at all. The game that primarily features this isRadiant Dawn, where items likeRagnell cannot be removed fromIke's inventory. TheBlack Knight'sAlondite andElincia'sAmiti are also examples of trade-locked weapons. The item having this condition is denoted by a lock icon on the item list, although in some cases this lock is removed after certain story events.

Fire Emblem Fates also has a trade-lock system, though it is mostly internally used bymonster weapons, and is usually not indicated as such to the player. However,Corrin's early-game personal weapon,Ganglari, is a notable non-monster weapon exception, being locked to Corrin's inventory for a short story duration. The weapons of theamiibo units (Falchion,Ragnell,Thoron, andParallel Falchion) are also locked to the respective units' inventories.

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

Official artwork

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  Artwork depicting a trading strategy in theMystery of the Emblem Guide to National Salvation Vol. 1.

Screenshots

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  Gordin givingJeorge aBow inShadow Dragon & the Blade of Light.
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  Delthea andSilque exchanging theirPrayer Ring andLeather Shield inGaiden.
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  Arran trading aSilver Lance into one ofCecil's empty inventory spaces inMystery of the Emblem.
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  Saul tradingHeal for theStaff of the Saint inThe Binding Blade.
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  Nils trading theIron Rune for one ofEliwood'sElixirs inThe Blazing Blade.
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  Eirika trading aVulnerary into one ofMoulder's empty inventory spaces inThe Sacred Stones.
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  Eirika initiating a trade withEphraim, whom she has rescued, inThe Sacred Stones.
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  TheAlondite, locked to theBlack Knight's inventory, indicated by a padlock icon inRadiant Dawn.
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  Tiki trading anElixir into an empty space inMorgan's inventory inAwakening.
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  Annette trading aMagic Staff forMarianne'sHealing Staff inThree Houses.

See also

• Steal

References