Fire Emblem Engage has several important locations that have to be unlocked first before you can access them. Here is everything you need to know about every door in Somniel, and what you need to do to unlock them.
When can you open doors in Somniel in Fire Emblem Engage?
Although you can explore the castle hub at the beginning of Fire Emblem Engage's campaign, you will need to complete Chapter 4 before you can open the first set of Somniel doors. As you progress through the main story, you will eventually gain access to more of the doors that were initially locked in the opening chapters.
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How to unlock Arena in Fire Emblem Engage
The Fire Emblem Engage Arena is unlocked after Chapter 4: A Land In Bloom has been completed. Once you've defeated the story campaign battle, travel back to Somniel to automatically unlock the location. The training room can be found inside the Café, and is accessible through the giant wooden door that sits to the right of the restaurant's music box.
What does the Arena do in Fire Emblem Engage?
The Fire Emblem Engage Arena is a training room used to level up characters with simulated fights. The Somniel location also allows you to quickly max out your bond with Emblems without actually needing to participate in battles. Using bond fragments to purchase levels, you can instantly max out your relationship with any ring hero you own. Because of this, you can inherit the proficiencies required to change your character's class. The Arena is the best Fire Emblem Engage Proficiency farming method, and as a result, it is an important location you will want to visit often.
How to unlock Tower of Trials in Fire Emblem Engage
The Tower of Trials becomes accessible for the first time after Chapter 6: The Stolen Ring. Just like the other hidden locations, you must return to the Somniel hub after completing the main story quest to unlock the door automatically. The Tower of Trials can be found at the most Southern point of the map and is just below the Shrine cave.
What does the Tower of Trials do in Fire Emblem Engage?
The Tower of Trials is Fire Emblem Engage's multiplayer mode, where you go if you want to play with other players. The room contains three modes: Tempest Trial, Relay Trial, and Outrealm Trial. Tempest Trial is offline and has you taking on multiple battle maps back to back. Relay Trial is the game's co-op mode, as you team up with another player to take on foes. And lastly, Outrealm allows you to face off against another player's army. Completing Tempest and Relay Trials will reward you with a special material that can augment and power up the Engage weapons of Emblems.
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How to unlock Stables in Fire Emblem Engage
The Fire Emblem Engage Stables unlock after you complete Chapter 4: A Land In Bloom. The farmhouse is located in the East wing of Somniel, and can be quickly warped using the maps fast travel points. Unlike the other locked locations, you can't actually enter the Stables as the door instead serves as a menu for your adopted animals. So once you've gained access to the mechanic, walk up to the stables door and click it to interact with the feature.
What does the Stables do in Fire Emblem Engage?
After you've defeated the Chapter 4 battle, you will be allowed to adopt an animal. Before exiting the stage, walk to the orange dots on your mini-map to find a handful of animals. Once you've agreed to adopt a pet it will automatically be sent to your stables in Somniel. You can now interact with the previously locked Stable door, allowing you to choose which animals you want to have out. While not a major feature, you will start to get random item drops near your grazing animals.
How to unlock Ring Chamber in Fire Emblem Engage
The Ring Chamber in Fire Emblem Engage first becomes unlocked once Chapter 4: A Land In Bloom has been completed. After you've recruited Alfred to your team, head back to Somniel to automatically gain access to the room. The Ring Chamber can be found on the left side of the Café and is located directly across from the Arena door.
What does the Ring Chamber do in Fire Emblem Engage?
The Ring Chamber is where you can access Fire Emblem Engage's gacha feature called "Bond Rings." Using Bond Fragments, you can create additional rings that can be attached to your Emblem to increase their stats. Every Bond Ring is randomly generated, so each item created has a chance of being extremely powerful. You can even meld them together to unlock additional powers if you obtain enough duplicates. The Ring Chamber also has a "Ring Polish" feature that allows you to increase your bond level with your Emblem. The mechanic is a mini-game where you clean your Emblem Rings with a cloth towel.
How to use the Shrine in Fire Emblem Engage
The mysterious Somniel Shrine first becomes accessible after you've completed Chapter 4: A Land In Bloom. To unlock it, you must return to the cave and interact with the pedestal after defeating the story mission. An adorable animal-looking spirit will then appear on top of the Shrine to reveal one of Somniel's cutest hidden features.
What does the Shrine do in Fire Emblem Engage?
The Fire Emblem Engage Somniel Shrine is home to the spirit animal named Sommie. The adorable creature is the spiritual representation of the island, and it becomes your pet while visiting the hub. Interacting with the Shrine will allow you to pet, feed, and dress up Sommie. Doing these activities will increase its happiness meter, rewarding you with Bond Fragments. Another benefit to Sommie is that it will help you with activities such as Physical Training and Fishing. If you slip up during these mini-games, the spirit animal will step in to help and prevent you from failing.
What else can you do at Somniel in Fire Emblem Engage?
Although you will have the majority of Somniel's buildings unlocked by Chapter 7, the island has a few extra activities that become accessible later in the story. Fire Emblem Engage's Fishing activity is unlocked after Chapter 8: The Kingdom Might, for example. And while the Hall of Records is mainly for updating your online profile, you can dress up your characters in different costumes and stage photoshoots with them. For those looking to get an edge in battle, Somniel has Cooking and Physical Training mini-games that reward you with temporary stats buffs. Ultimately, though, the main reason you will want to keep revisiting the hub is to use the Arena and Ring Chamber to increase your bonds with your teammates and Emblems.
Want to learn more about Fire Emblem Engage? If so, check out How to adopt pets in Fire Emblem Engage on Pro Game Guides.
Brent Koepp is a freelance games journalist based out of California. An avid Pokemon fan for over 25 years, he has spent his career reporting on the popular Nintendo franchise. He also dabbles in Destiny 2 and JRPGs. You can follow him on Twitter @brentrkoepp.