Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a tactical role-playing video game in which players control protagonist Ike and a group of characters across multiple battle scenarios. At the game's opening, multiple difficulty settings can be chosen: in the Japanese version, the options are Normal, Hard, and Maniac modes, while the western version has Easy, Normal, and Hard modes.[4][5][6] In all modes, characters who fall in battle are permanently dead and removed from the rest of the game. If Ike falls in battle, the game will end and the stage must be restarted.[7][8]
Before entering battle, players can choose a certain number of characters to use from a roster of up to 46 characters. The roster grows as the game progresses and more characters are recruited, and the number of characters able to be used varied between battles. During battle, players have access to two species: the humanoid Beorc and the shape-shifting Laguz. Beorc use weapons and magic, while Laguz use close-quarters melee attacks. Laguz have a gauge which fills up during battle, filling at varying speed depending on their status and whether they are under attack. When the gauge is full, they transform into their animal form for a set number of turns, becoming far more powerful than Beorc characters. However, they are unable to attack while in human form, and are vulnerable until they transform again. The time between transformations can be shortened using special items.[9][10] Playable Beorc characters are each assigned a character class. These classes affect a character's skills and how far they can move on the battlefield. Some classes are exclusive to certain characters: for example, the Ranger class and its skills are exclusive to Ike. Laguz characters also have different movement speeds and strengths depending on their transformed form.[10]
Character skills are additional abilities each character possesses. These classes can be tailored to a degree, with some skills available to award to any character, but skills inherent to a particular character cannot be removed or changed, and the amount of skills able to be awarded is restricted by the character's skill limit.[11]
Characters used in battle gain experience points, with larger amounts of experience being awarded depending on a character's performance in battle. Bonus experience is awarded by fulfilling secondary requirements outlined at the beginning of the level.[9] Once a character earns 100 experience points, they automatically level up. At level 21, a character's class is automatically upgraded. This upgrade can also happen at level 10 if the player uses an item called a Master Seal. Once the class changes, the character receives set stat bonuses, and their level is reset to level 1, while carrying over all the random stat increases aggregated up to that point.[7][12] After promotion, the level-cap is 20, and no character can earn experience points after achieving this level.
Between battles, characters can be managed at a Base. In this location, skills can be assigned, weapons can be traded, purchased, and forged, and bonus experience points earned in battle can be given to characters. There is also a Support system accessible through the Base where player characters can talk with each other and improve their relationships. These conversations improve affinity between characters and grant stat boots in battle. Supports are ranked from C to A, with A being the highest rank and granting the best bonuses.[8][13]
Battles take place on a grid-based map with multiple teams: the player team, the enemy team, allied characters, and neutral characters. A character's class (animal form for the Laguz) and the map's terrain can affect how far they can move and the range of their attacks.[10] Gameplay is turn-based, with the player moving their characters during the player phase. Once the player's turn ends, the enemy phase begins. If allied or neutral character are present, their phases will follow. During each phase, a character can move once and follow one command. Once this is done, the unit turns gray and cannot be moved or commanded until the next turn. Each turn can be ended manually by the player, or automatically when all characters are given their orders.[7] The standard commands for characters include attacking characters, using items, rescuing characters (temporarily removing wounded characters from play at the cost of a stat-drain for the rescuing character), trading items with other allied characters, 'shoving' characters to an adjacent space, and waiting until a later turn to receive a command. Special commands include talking to characters in battle, opening chests, visiting buildings on the map, stealing items, and in some cases having characters escape from the map. If each character is not given a command, Ike has the exclusive ability to command all free characters, giving general orders to characters who have already moved for the next turn, or to unmoved characters for the current turn. If the level involves escaping the battle, Ike's escape will end the level.[14]
The Fire Emblem series' Weapon Triangle mechanic is featured again, in which the three main close-combat weapons are strong or weak against each other: axes are strong against lances, lances are strong against swords, and swords are strong against axes. Other similar mechanics exist, such as fire magic being more damaging to some beasts, and arrows being more effective against airborne enemies.[9] Weapon durability decreases over time, with weapons eventually breaking when used a certain number of times. Weapons have different levels of strength, with its assigned letter (E to A and S) denoting the level of skill required to wield it. Weapons forged at Base can also be customized with a unique name.[13] Magic is governed by a similar system to the Weapons Triangle; fire is weak to wind, wind is weak to thunder, and thunder is weak to fire.[15]
