Royal Royale

Royal Royale (王族最強戦 Ōzoku Saikyōsen lit. The Strongest Royal Family Competition in the Japanese version) is Xenologue 7 of Fire Emblem Fates. This DLC which can be purchased individually or a part of the Map Pack 1. This DLC is probably the most difficult and offers a fun tactical battle experience.

Map Setup
In Royal Royale, player will pick one of the eight Hoshido or Nohr royals and form a team with his or her two story-line personal retainers. The player team will then battle all other seven royals and their retainers. These units are also separate from your own.

Like Beach Brawl, the player picks between Hoshido and Nohr, then the four siblings themselves with prompts to make sure they have finalized their decision. Once finalized, the battle starts without pre-battle interface.

Every unit in this DLC carries unique A-rank or Divine weapons. Most attack either 1 or 2 tiles with the exception of a few Shurikens, Tomes, Raijinto and Siegfried. Some units have the choice between range 1 or range 2 weapons while others can choose between A-rank heavy weapons (which reduces stats after use) and E-Rank light weapons (which has high Avoid). In addition, all team members will have A Rank support with each other. Team leaders carry permanent stats boosters while retainers carry 1-turn stats boosters or HP recovery items. They are both droppable if on enemy units. (These items or their effects do not carry over to your own characters.) There is no Convoy. An item has to be removed if a unit obtains a dropped item while already carrying 5. As usual, the effects of 1-turn stats boosters, as well as Rallys, carry into Enemy Phase but reset at the next Player Phase. ie. A unit cannot apply a status buff to himself/herself for his/her own active actions.

Every unit has their personal skills, both base class skills and one skill from their promoted class. The only exception is Ryoma's team. Saizo has Rend Heaven while Kagero has Seal Speed in addition.

There are Dragon Veins all over the map. The first trigger replicates all surviving player units and freezes all enemies. Subsequent triggers do not replicate more units. As with the Mechanist's Replicate skill, a repulica shares all attributes of the true character, including Support effects, status buffs/debuffs and remaining HPs. If one of your units dies, (does not matter which dies), both repulica and actual will be killed.

There are also two Ballistas on the map. They can only be used by enemy units.

Enemy units start off on hold. They will move their units towards player units as turns progress or whenever a player unit is within weapon or spell range. The teams of the younger siblings will start moving before the older ones do. Only Camilla, Xander and Hinoka's teams utilize Guard Stance.

The positions of player units are pre-determined.

Starting Locations

 * Ryoma's team: Near the fire orb
 * Hinoka's team: North of the ballista
 * Takumi's team: North-west of the marsh
 * Sakura's team: Slightly northeast of the old gate
 * Xander's team: Top central area
 * Camilla's team: West area
 * Leo's team: Slightly east of the marsh
 * Elise's team: North-west corner

Overall
In general, the Royal Royale teams are mostly balanced in strength. Units in this DLC tend to be able to one-shot or two-shot any other unit. The player team starts off with 3 units (can be later replicated to 6) and face 21 enemy units. Therefore,''' with most teams, it is crucial to keep all team members alive through the end. As well, a successful player team should maneuver to control the engagement to one team at the time, using Dragon Vein's freeze effect whenever necessary. Dragon Vein can further be used to ensure the player team is the first to attack in any one-on-one encounters. 'This takes advantage of the setup where most units carry weapons that attack either 1 or'' 2 tiles but not both.  As long as the engagement is controlled and player maintains initiative, victory should be attainable at around 24 turns.

For beginners, Team Ryoma is probably the most friendly choice for learning the battle format. Team Ryoma is also the most reliable Dread Scroll farmer. For farming Elbon Scroll, Team Elise should be most reliable.

Team Elise
Team Elise is the most reliable Elbon Scroll farmer. The main challenge comes from their starting position, which requires precise maneuver to confine engagements to one team at the time. But Team Elise is very flexible. They will tolerate some mistakes. They also have zero reliance on RNG esus (e.g. requiring critical attack or enemy misses to win, or encounters unavoidable high critical chance attacks).

On Team Elise, the main sweeper is Effie, with her high Strength stat which lets her defeat most of the enemies, and her high Defense stat lets her tank multiple attacks as well. Even though her speed stat is poor, she comes with Wary Fighter which prevents them from doubling her.

To start off, move towards the Dragon Vein closest to her. Make sure to give her Goddess Icon to either Effie or Arthur, since Elise does not need any luck boosts. Pair up Effie with Elise initially, so that Effie can catch up with the rest of the team. Move Effie and Arthur as close as possible to Takumi's team, and have Elise activate the Dragon Vein. This will allow the replicas to benefit from Attack Stances. Try to take out Oboro after activating the Dragon Vein. On the next turn, get rid of Takumi and Hinata on the same turn. After his team is gone, focus on Camilla's team.

Players should check their stats and see who should tank Camilla's attacks. If the player uses Effie to tank, they should be aware that Camilla will attack with her tome (and lunge, dragging her to Beruka's range), while if they use Elise, she will switch to Selena instead. Make sure that Elise or Effie (depending on who is tanking) has enough health, and in Elise's case, enough speed to prevent Selena from doubling her.

If Effie tanked, Elise can easily deal with Camilla as she will be unable to deal any damage with her. Effie can easily destroy Selena with her Beast Killer, and Arthur can deal with Beruka easily. Once Camilla's team is dealt with, Subaki is most likely to be nearing the player's position. Have Effie attack him, as she will usuaully one hit him with the Beast Killer.

Sakura and Hana are most likely to catch up after 2 turns, standing next to each other. Although optional, you can have Elise try to freeze Sakura, if her Silence missed the last turn. Make sure that both Elise and her replica are just at the rim of Sakura's staff range to lure her closer, as doing otherwise will result in Sakura spamming Silence on her until the staff breaks. Effie can one hit Sakura and Hana with relative ease.

With Sakura's team eliminated, Leo's team will most likely be closing in on you. Move back, just out of Leo's range and prepare to fight his team. Have Effie attack Leo with her Beast Killer; she will one hit him. Then have Elise attack Odin; because Odin still has his Nosferatu tome equipped, it prevents him from activating Vengeance, and Elise can easily tank him (due to her high resistance) and most likely be able to double him also. Freeze Niles if needed before taking him out the next turn.

Move down to Ryoma's team once Leo's team is out. You will need to make use of Dragon Veins and Elise's Freeze to prevent him from killing any of your units. Activate the marsh/orb Dragon Vein with either Elise (unpaired) while the rest of the team is in his team's attack range to get the drop on them once it expires. As there are two Dragon Veins in close vicinity to each other, you can activate them if needed. Ryoma is of relatively little concern to Effie, so focus on Saizo, since Rend Heaven can deal heavy damage in addition to his personal, Pyrotechnics if his health is low. Freeze Kagero when the Dragon Vein wears off to prevent her from attacking Effie with her Sting Shuriken.

With Ryoma's team gone, Hinoka's team is most likely to be the next team pursuing you. Hinoka will catch up to your units first, so regroup just outside her attack range. Have Effie attack Hinoka; like the rest of the beast mounted units, she will most likely one hit her. Have the other Effie attack Setsuna, and end your turn. Arthur can attack and potentially kill Setsuna, but she is able to double him, and if Arthur does not defeat her in that turn, she will most likely defeat him in the upcoming enemy phase. Azama will lag behind, and can be easily dealt with by Elise.

Xander's team will be the last one remaining now. Move a nearby Dragon Vein with an unpaired Elise while the rest wait outside of Xander's attack range. Once Xander nears, activate it and use a Shell Horn to boost Effie's defense. Effie can easily deal with Xander and Peri (she can two hit Xander, and one hit Peri). Have one Elise heal Effie, and have the other freeze Peri if she is not taken out yet. Laslow will switch to the Armorslayer upon the enemy turn and deal heavy damage to Effie, which will eliminate her if Peri attacks her if she is alone. Heal up Effie on the next turn, defeat Laslow (with Elise or Effie), and have the other Effie attack Peri, who will one hit her.

Team Xander
Team Xander has some good strong points. They carry one of the divine weapons, Siegfried. Aside from Laslow, both Xander and Peri have high defenses that can allow them to tank certain attacks without risk. Both are also able to use their weapons to attack from a distance. Laslow is also in possession of the Armorslayer, perfect for defeating armored units, though the only other armored unit in the level is Effie.

Another advantage they have is how they are able to share weapons with one another. Peri can utilize all 3 main weapons (sword/axe/lance), while Xander and Laslow can utilize two, possessing one the other doesn’t have. This allows for quick alterations in strategy to have another unit use a different weapon to gain an edge over opposing teams.

For stat boosts, boost Laslow’s Defense stat, Xander or Laslow’s Resistance stat, and Peri’s Luck stat. Peri or Laslow could use the Skill stat boost for themselves due to having Luna and Sol respectively. Xander should have a Speed stat boost as he lacks a great deal in speed.

When the battle begins, have Xander (paired with Laslow) and Peri head southwest towards the bridge that will lead them to Elise’s team, due to how Elise and Sakura will be moving from the very beginning, and Elise is the closest, so she will approach you. Separate from Laslow as well.

Upon the next turn, position Laslow and Peri next to the Dragon Vein, but away from the enemy’s attack range. Do not activate the Dragon Vein though, and keep Xander out of the enemy’s range as well (particularly Elise's staff), but near to activate the Dragon’s Vein next turn. Upon ending your turn, Elise will use her Freeze staff to remove one of your team member’s ability to move (most likely Laslow, due to him carrying Armorslayer. If Laslow isn’t the one frozen, reset). Once your turn resumes, activate the Dragon’s Vein with Xander. With that, have Laslow switch weapons with Peri and give her the Armorslayer and then use Rally. After that, have Peri have the Armorslayer equipped (Note: Make sure that it’s Laslow that trades the weapon, or else Peri will not be able to move).

Position the Xander clone to be able to attack Effie, but out of her range of attack. Have Peri next to him for a dual strike. So when Xander makes his attack, Peri will also attack with the Armorslayer, dealing a powerful blow on Effie that should reduce her HP to about half. With that, have Peri move to attack Effie with Armorslayer to finish her off. After that, have the remaining Peri go finish Arthur off. You can then end your turn. Have any stat boosting item be used to leave room for items.

Elise will use her Freeze staff again to stop either Xander or Laslow from moving. Once it’s your turn, pair anyone frozen with another unit to move in closer, with Xander attacking Elise with Siegfried or the Silver Lance with another unit beside him, to increase chances of success. Once Elise is down, move in to the next Dragon Vein near Team Takumi, as Team Sakura approaches you, with Subaki the closest.

Have everyone positions at the edge, outside of everyone’s range, and once Subaki is close, activate the Dragon’s Vein. Immediately defeat Subaki and then have Xander damage Oboro. After attacking her, Oboro will have Xander lose 6 Speed stat points due to her Seal Speed ability. Once it’s your next turn, defeat Oboro, then Takumi. Have Laslow make the first attack with his signature sword, and then have another character defeat him. Hinata is more tricky as if you deal him damage that takes out half his HP, his signature skill will damage you. Also, be wary of his Vantage skill, which will give him the initiative in attacks once his HP is below half, so attack from a distance with Xander or Peri.

By this time, Hana and Sakura will be near you. Both are very easy to deal with using Xander, who can potentially one shot both of them, especially with a dual strike with another. However, be cautious of Team Leo, who will start to approach you. Make sure you are not within their attack range when you finish up with Team Sakura.

When they approach you, be sure that you and your allies are close together to make a fast and powerful strike. If you are too scattered, regroup and stay away from Leo’s team. Once they approach you, you can use Xander to take out Niles in one hit. Laslow can take out Odin with a dual strike with his signature weapon, as otherwise, Odin’s Nosferatu spell will allow him to survive the attack, as the spell absorbs enemy HP. Leo can be defeated with a well coordinated strike from the leftover allies.

With that, only teams that remain are Ryoma, Camilla, and Hinoka’s. Head for Camilla’s team. Have Xander pair with someone with Siegfried equipped and stand ONLY in Camilla’s range of attack. Have the rest be nearby. Use an Allegro’s Harp item to boost speed and Laslow’s Rally, preventing Camilla from doubling Xander and allowing him to counter better. When Camilla attacks, her Lunge ability will switch places and Beruka will attack, but Xander will not be harmed much and will strike back. With that, Team Camilla will be very crippled. Both Camilla and Beruka will be quick to deal with. Selena will still have full health, but can be quickly dealt with.

With two teams left, and very soon, Hinoka’s team will begin to move. However, you can either wait for Hinoka, or make way for Ryoma’s team. You can go for Ryoma’s team to save time. If you do, approach Ryoma from the west side, as there is a Dragon’s Vein near there. Once you have grouped together there, have Xander enter within Saizo’s range, but make sure that you have any Shell Horn or Allegro Harp used on him to help. Saizo will not defeat you, but once they made their move, have Xander use the Dragon’s Vein. Xander will have dealt a strong blow on Saizo, so he will be easy to deal with. Ryoma is not much of a threat either, provided that he switched to his Silver Katana. Despite this, you should still move cautiously towards them, as Saizo has Rend Heaven and Kagero has seal stat skills.

Once they are there, Hinoka will be first with Setsuna, because Azama will have been left behind by them. You can activate the Dragon’s Vein in the black swamp area once she’s at your range. Make sure to attack from a distance, to prevent counterattacks, preferably with Peri’s Lance. After she is done, Xander can one shot Setsuna. With that, Azama is all that is left, and he will be defeated easily. Finish him off and Team Xander is the victor.

Team Ryoma
'''Team Ryoma is the most reliable Dread Scroll farmer. '''They start off in the widest area with unimpeded access to their first Dragon Vein. Team Ryoma is very flexible. One strategy is to move southwest as an opening move. Sweep whoever that comes - whether one team or multiple teams at a time. Only move southeast to sweep the last remaining teams (Team Hinoka and Team Xander). More on that later.

In general, Ryoma and his repulica are the main damage dealers due to their Raijinto, good strength, good speed and decent bulk. Kagero is used most often as a Support Bot in Pair-Ups for Ryoma (+5 speed) while Saizo can stand ground on his own with his decent bulk and good overall stats. Saizo's Poison Strike and Pyrotechnics skills are also useful for delivering the needed damage against high bulk units.

Team Ryoma is probably the easiest team to on the Hoshidan side because shuriken debuffs help with Ryoma sweeping and his ninjas picking off enemies. All of his units can attack at a 1-2 range which makes it easier to kill enemy units with a lower risk of counterattack. The team's main weakness is that the units on your side are relativey frail. In terms of stat boosting items, almost all of them should go to Ryoma, as he is your main sweeper. The only exception is Spirit Dust, which should go to Saizo, since he is the only unit on Team Ryoma with a magic weapon in the Flame Shuriken.

Right off the bat, head Ryoma to the closest Dragon Vein spot heading towards Camilla, with Saizo to his left and Kagero to his right. When Ryoma uses the Dragon Vein, have Kagero pair up with the replicated Ryoma and get them as close to Camilla's group as possible. The replicated Kagero should be 2 spaces away from the replicated Ryoma and one Saizo should ferry the other Saizo as close as possible without being in the danger zone and drop the other Saizo to the left. Pair up the other Ryoma with the free Kagero at the start of turn 3. One of the Saizos and one of the Ryomas should be able to finish off Beruka and the other Ryoma easily takes down Camilla, preferably so that she can't counterattack. The other Saizo should attack Selena with the Saizo's Star near an ally so if Selena attacks them, you'll do 4 extra damage on counterattack.

Once Camilla's group is done for, get your units away from Elise's Freeze staff range and boost your stats and/or heal if necessary. Elise and her group will approach your units on the enemy phrase. Have one of the Ryomas take down Elise and bring out the other units because Subaki will approach the next turn while Arthur will kill himself to one of the Ryomas. Have one or both Kageroes bombard Effie with a Sting Shuriken so Effie dies during enemy phase if using one Kagero or in your turn if using both.

Takumi's, Leo's, and the other part of Sakura's parties will at least be in range of you. Both Ryomas will have to work full time while Saizo rallies with his signature weapon. One of the Ryomas should attack Takumi and his group while the other waits in a safe tile in the middle of the marsh, waiting for Leo and his gang, and possibly Sakura. Both Saizos can kill Hana and Sakura wouldn't be an issue unless she triggers Miracle. When that is done with, head to the Dragon Vein nearest to Elise's starting position BUT DON'T USE IT YET. Heal up & boost up if you need to, and wait for Hinoka and her gang.

When Hinoka's gang does arrive, attack her with both Saizos and their signature weapons. Inch both Ryomas in which may make Hinoka switch to Setsuna and be put in a lose-lose situation because she'll either get demolished by Ryoma or the Saizos will wear her down considerably, and Azama dies soon after. Then on your turn, make Ryoma finish off Hinoka and get everyone out of the danger zone as Xander's group may start moving depending on how much time you took. When they do arrive, use a Ryoma to halt their movement by using the Dragon Vein and have Kagero use a sting shuriken on Peri, which will take her down. Both Saizos, if you still have them, should attack Xander so he is weakened and he either switches to Lazlow, who would die soon after, or stay in and drop. After that, one or both Ryoma's should finish off the last unit and victory is yours.

Script
The script for this Xenologue can be found here.

Rewards
Note: Stat boosting item rewards from the teams are a one-time only reward.


 * Completing the Chapter with the Hoshido siblings rewards the player with a Dread Scroll.
 * Completing the Chapter with Takumi's team also rewards a Secret Book.
 * Completing the Chapter with Ryoma's team also rewards an Energy Drop.
 * Completing the Chapter with Sakura's team also rewards a Seraph Robe.
 * Completing the Chapter with Hinoka's team also rewards a Speedwing.
 * Completing the Chapter with the Nohr siblings rewards the player with an Ebon Wing.
 * Completing the Chapter with Xander's team also rewards a Dracoshield.
 * Completing the Chapter with Leo's team also rewards a Spirit Dust.
 * Completing the Chapter with Elise's team also rewards a Goddess Icon.
 * Completing the Chapter with Camilla's team also rewards a Talisman.