Reinforcements

In the Fire Emblem series, enemy units may appear in the middle of a battle. These are known as Reinforcements. Reinforcements may appear after a certain number of turns have elapsed, or after player units cross a certain point on the map. If the player knows where Reinforcements are going to appear, he can position his units on the squares where Reinforcements come from. This will prevent the Reinforcements from spawning. However, this tactic does not work in Path of Radiance or Radiant Dawn. In those two games, Reinforcements will simply appear on the next open square. Reinforcements can make some maps difficult, especially if the player does not know when they will appear or how many there are. But, they can also provide player units with large amounts of experience points.

Sometimes, allied or neutral Reinforcements may appear as well. In Chapter 17 of Path of Radiance, the player can call in two Reinforcements for each of the last three parts. In that same game, Tanith can use her Reinforce ability to summon Pegasus Knights and Falcon Knights as Partner units. Tanith may do this twice per chapter.